Libya’s Covid situation deteriorates as south African variant arrives in the country

With the arrival of yet another Covid-19 variant in the country and continued delay of vaccine delivery, Libya's coronavirus situations continues to worsen

BY Libyan Express Mar 22, 2021 - 00:08

Libya’s new PM vowed that his government’s top priority is delivering the vaccines to Libyans. [Photo: Libyan Express]

Libya’s epidemiological situation continues its turn for the worse as the nation’s Centre for Disease Control reported 15 cases of the mutated strain of the virus that originated in southern Africa.

In a statement, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced that a team of their experts conducted a test on 32 positive COVID-19 samples using PCR kits and identified that at least 15 of the samples carried the mutated strain.

It also reported that the UK variant, announced to have arrived in Libya just weeks earlier, was also found in the positive results, indicating that both variants of the virus, reported to be more deadly and contagious, are now spreading across the country.

The statement added that with both variants detected, the epidemiological situation in the country will only be exacerbated with the number of cases that result in severe or deadly complications expected to rise soon.

Libya was initially expected to see its first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines this month but due to the mishandling of the situation by the country’s previous government, the date of arrival for the vaccines continues to be pushed further away despite reassurances by elected officials that they will deliver the answer to the pandemic in Libya as soon as possible.

The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Libyan Express.
How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@libyanexpress.com. Please include ‘Op-Ed’ in the subject line.