A THREE-MONTH-OLD baby boy is the youngest of 47 Bahraini children who have so far tested positive for the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19), writes the GDN’s Ghazi Alshehabi and Raji Unnikrishnan.
According to latest statistics from the Health Ministry, the baby (case 287) tested positive after coming in contact with two other positive cases.
All 47 children contracted Covid-19 after coming in contact with a positive case in the country or upon arrival from abroad, according to the ministry’s contact tracing data.
The data also revealed 12 more children have contracted the virus, directly or indirectly, from individuals who attended a condolence gathering at a ma’tam in North Jannusan between March 9 and 11.
The three-month-old boy came in contact with case 246 and case 286, the former attended the condolence meeting in Jannusan.
Another baby, a four-month-old girl (case 419), also came in contact with case 331 and case 332, both of whom attended the funeral.
A 10-year-old girl (case 513) also tested positive after coming in contact with case 340, case 477, case 478 and case 479 – all of whom contracted the virus from case 316 who attended the same ma’tam.
The same individual (case 316) also infected case 340, who in turn came in contact with a two-year-old Bahraini boy (case 508) who has tested positive for the virus.
Case 340 also passed on the virus to two other children, a 17-year-old boy (case 477) and a 10-year-old girl (case 478).
The information on the ministry’s website dedicated to Covid-19 also showed that a three-year-old girl (case 377) contracted the virus from case 366, which is indirectly linked to another contact with the Jannusan ma’tam (case 259).
The list of Bahraini children also includes a seven-year-old boy (case 509) who tested positive after mixing with case 431, an indirect contact with a person who attended the same ma’tam.
While a seven-year-old boy (case 506) and a nine-year-old boy (case 545) contracted the virus after coming in contact with cases 417 and 502 respectively, which have links to the condolence meeting.
A 12-year-old boy (case 263) and a 16-year-old female (case 264) tested positive after mixing with positive case 246 – both children attended the ma’tam.
The GDN previously reported on four other children who were linked to the ma’tam.
A four-year-old boy (case 220) tested positive after coming in contact with case 214, an eight-year-old girl.
She visited Al Mosawi Eye Clinic in Bilad Al Qadeem, which was infected after a Bahraini man, aged 71, attended the ma’tam.
While a 14-year-old girl (case 261) tested positive after being in contact with case 240, but has since been discharged along with a 15-year-old girl (case 459) who came in contact with two positive cases 312 and 358. Both were indirectly linked to the condolence meeting.
The data also shows that a 16-year-old male (case 250) contracted the virus after attending the condolences, but has since been discharged.
Among the children who contracted the virus were those who arrived in Bahrain from abroad, including a 12-year-old boy (case 569) who arrived from the UK on March 31.
Two Bahraini children, a four-year-old boy (case 206) and a six-year-old boy (case 197), also tested positive upon arrival from Iran on March 10 as part of the International Covid-19 Repatriation Programme (ICRP).
The other Bahraini children who contracted the virus but have since been discharged from isolation and treatment facilities include a 16-year-old female (case 204) who tested positive after coming in contact with case 196 and an eight-year-old girl (case number 81) who came in touch with case 57, who returned from Iraq and was tested positive.
A 12-year-old boy (case 32) has also been discharged after recovering from the virus after coming in contact with positive case 24, who returned from Iran.
The latest update on the ministry’s website also includes a large number of expat workers from India, Nepal and Bangladesh, as well as other nationalities such as Slovakian and a number of Bahrainis from the ICRP.
