People walk past the graffiti of preventive measure against coronavirus in Dakar, Senegal, April 23, 2020. Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action reported on Friday 66 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 545 in the country. (Photo by Eddy Peters/Xinhua)
DAKAR, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action reported on Friday 66 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 545 in the country.
Among the 528 virological examinations carried out within the past 24 hours, 66 came back positive, including 61 follow-up contact cases and five cases of community transmission, Senegalese health minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr announced during the daily COVID-19 briefing.
According to him, five more patients tested negative after treatments, bringing the total number of cured to 262. But he also said there is one patient "in critical condition".
Of the 545 confirmed cases, 400 are close contacts cases, 85 are imported ones and 60 are due to community transmission. Six patients have lost their lives to COVID-19.
Minister Sarr revealed vendors are among the most exposed to COVID-19 in Senegal, and insisted on mandatory wearing of masks in markets and other public places.
"In the context of case detection, I asked my services to considerably increase the number of samples taken per day, in order to allow the identification of a maximum of asymptomatic carriers", he added. Enditem
