THERE are 1,003 active cases of Covid-19 in Bahrain as of last night, with around 90 per cent of them registered among migrant workers, Raji Unnikrishnan reported on GDNonline this morning.
It comes as Bahrain recorded 146 new cases yesterday, of which 128 are among expatriate workers, while 13 contracted the virus by coming in contact with existing cases and two arrived from abroad.
Fifteen more people were also discharged from treatment and isolation centres yesterday, taking the total number of recoveries to 663.
The Health Ministry said that the majority of the labourers who tested positive yesterday were part of the 6,609 tests that were conducted in the last 48 hours across labour camps in the country.
Foreign workers also account for more than 50pc of the total 1,673 cases registered in the country since February 24.
This includes the 1,003 active cases, the 663 recoveries and seven deaths.
Among the active cases, three remain in critical condition, while all the fatalities were among citizens who had underlying chronic health conditions.
According to official statistics, 915 migrant workers have tested positive for the coronavirus so far.
“The 128 new active cases (from yesterday) among expatriate workers were detected following the testing of 3,288 workers during the past 24 hours as part of an ongoing campaign to test workers at their residence,” said the ministry.
“The ministry has taken all precautionary measures, including testing, quarantining and providing medical treatment regarding the 128 new active cases among expatriate workers and their contacts, in cooperation with their employers.
“The mobile testing units continue to conduct random Covid-19 tests throughout Bahrain to safeguard the well-being of citizens and residents.”
The ministry also said that it conducted 850 random checks yesterday in a number of areas in the country.
“As part of the ongoing series of testing, mobile testing units collected random samples from citizens and residents in A’Ali, Al Hidd, Sanabis, Riffa and Al Juffair, conducting a total of 850 tests for the virus,” it said.
“Throughout the process, the mobile testing units share information regarding Covid-19 and the ways in which infections can be avoided.”
The ministry also revealed that another 531 people left preventive quarantine facilities for Covid-19 yesterday, taking the total to 1,200.
These individuals completed the necessary 14-day period and laboratory tests were negative, clearing them of any infection. The total number of people tested in the country has now reached 73,272
Meanwhile, an inspection visit of the field unit for intensive care at the BDF Hospital was conducted yesterday by Defence Minister Lieutenant General Abdulla Al Nuaimi.
The GDN announced last week that the 130-bed facility managed by the Royal Medical Services was built in a record seven-day period and is the latest addition to Bahrain’s Covid-19 treatment facilities.
It is on the third floor of the hospital’s multi-storey car park and is dedicated to intensive care and is capable of accommodating beds equipped with respiratory and reanimation equipment.
Lt Gen Al Nuaimi was accompanied by Royal Medical Services Commander Major General Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa and other officials.
The minister affirmed the readiness of the RMS and its highly-trained medical competencies to deliver the necessary medical treatment and appropriate health services to face the developments of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The unit is part of Bahrain’s proactive measures to deal with any emergency that may arise in the health situation and the need for extra space to provide coronavirus patients with appropriate care and treatment.
