Muhammed Semakula1,*, Rukundo Gilbert1 , Nyamusore Jose4, Angela Umutoni4, Adeline Kabeja4,
Helene Balisanga4, Felicien Nizeyimana4, Vedaste Ntarindwa4, Samuel Rwunganira4, Menelas
Nkeshimana4, David Turatsinze4, Grace Mutembayire4, Ernest Nahayo4, Albert Tuyishime4, Mike
Habinshuti4, Theophile Dushime4, Edson Rwagasore4, Jean Marie Uwitonze4, Clarisse Musanabaganwa4,
Tharcisse Mpunga4, Daniel Ngamije4, Leon Mutesa2, Sabin Nsanzimana3
1Rwanda Joint Task Force COVID-19, Kigali, Rwanda
2Centre for Human Genetics, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
3Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Kigali, Rwanda
4COVID-19 Joint Task Force Committee, Kigali, Rwanda
INTRODUCTION
From December, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Novel COVID-19) is progressing worldwide. As of April 22, 2020, an estimate of 2.6 million cases were confirmed of which 185, 166 death, were recorded worldwide at https://www.coronatracker.com/ In Africa, the first case was identified on February 14, 2020 in Egypt and it took 30 more days to have the first patient confirmed positive to Covid-19 in Rwanda. Here, we present a graphic depiction of the number of cases by date of case confirmation.
Data on all confirmed cases reported in Rwanda between March 14 and April 22, 2020 were extracted from electronic medical records system. Cases were being confirmed as infected by SARS-CoV-2 by real time RT-PCR.
A total of 153 individuals with laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19 were identified. 82 (54.2%) cases were recorded from people with travel history in 14 days preceding the date of first case confirmation. Currently 84 (54.9%) patients have recovered and were discharged from the treatment centers [3]. As the number of imported cases was increasing, on March 21, 2020, Rwanda announced country lockdown and started to test people with travel history, and their contacts of those who tested positive to COVID-19.
