COVID-19 pandemic in Eswatini

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Eswatini in March 2020.[2]

COVID-19 pandemic in Eswatini
Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	SARS-CoV-2
Location	Eswatini
Arrival date	14 March 2020 (5 months and 5 days)
Confirmed cases	3,839 (as of 16 August)[1]
Active cases	1,501 (as of 16 August)
Recovered	2,268 (as of 16 August)
Deaths	70 (as of 16 August)

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[3][4]

The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[5][6] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[7][5] Model-based simulations for Eswatini suggest that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number R _t has exceeded 1.0 since late April 2020, gradually climbing to around 1.5 by July.[8]

Timeline

COVID-19 cases in Eswatini  ()      Deaths        Recoveries        Active cases Mar Mar Apr Apr May May Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Last 15 days Last 15 days
Date			# of cases	# of deaths
2020-03-14		​	1(n.a.)
⋮		​	1(=)
2020-03-22		​	4(+300%)
⋮		​	4(=)
2020-03-26		​	6(+50%)
2020-03-27		​	9(+50%)
⋮		​	9(=)
2020-04-06		​ ​	10(+11%)
⋮		​ ​	10(=)
2020-04-08		​ ​	12(+20%)
⋮		​ ​	12(=)
2020-04-13		​ ​	14(+17%)
2020-04-13		​ ​	15(+7.1%)
⋮		​ ​	15(=)
2020-04-16		​ ​ ​	16(+6.7%)	1(n.a.)
⋮		​ ​ ​	16(=)	1(=)
2020-04-18		​ ​ ​	22(+38%)	1(=)
⋮		​ ​ ​	22(=)	1(=)
2020-04-20		​ ​ ​	24(+9.1%)	1(=)
2020-04-21		​ ​ ​	31(+29%)	1(=)
⋮		​ ​ ​	31(=)	1(=)
2020-04-24		​ ​ ​	36(+16%)	1(=)
2020-04-25		​ ​ ​	56(+56%)	1(=)
2020-04-26		​ ​ ​	59(+5.4%)	1(=)
2020-04-27		​ ​ ​	65(+10%)	1(=)
2020-04-28		​ ​ ​	71(+9.2%)	1(=)
2020-04-29		​ ​ ​	91(+28%)	1(=)
2020-04-30		​ ​ ​	100(+9.9%)	1(=)
2020-05-01		​ ​ ​	106(+6%)	1(=)
2020-05-02		​ ​ ​	108(+1.9%)	1(=)
2020-05-03		​ ​ ​	112(+3.7%)	1(=)
2020-05-04		​ ​ ​	116(+3.6%)	1(=)
2020-05-05		​ ​ ​	119(+2.6%)	1(=)
2020-05-06		​ ​ ​	123(+3.4%)	2(+100%)
2020-05-07		​ ​ ​	153(+24%)	2(=)
2020-05-08		​ ​ ​	159(+3.9%)	2(=)
2020-05-09		​ ​ ​	163(+2.5%)	2(=)
2020-05-10		​ ​ ​	172(+5.5%)	2(=)
2020-05-11		​ ​ ​	175(+1.7%)	2(=)
2020-05-12		​ ​ ​	184(+5.1%)	2(=)
2020-05-13		​ ​ ​	187(+1.6%)	2(=)
2020-05-14		​ ​ ​	187(=)	2(=)
2020-05-15		​ ​ ​	190(+1.6%)	2(=)
2020-05-16		​ ​ ​	202(+6.3%)	2(=)
2020-05-17		​ ​ ​	203(+0.5%)	2(=)
2020-05-18		​ ​ ​	206(+1.5%)	2(=)
2020-05-19		​ ​ ​	208(+0.97%)	2(=)
2020-05-20		​ ​ ​	217(+4.3%)	2(=)
2020-05-21		​ ​ ​	220(+1.4%)	2(=)
2020-05-22		​ ​ ​	225(+2.3%)	2(=)
2020-05-23		​ ​ ​	238(+5.8%)	2(=)
2020-05-24		​ ​ ​	250(+5%)	2(=)
2020-05-25		​ ​ ​	256(+2.4%)	2(=)
2020-05-26		​ ​ ​	261(+2%)	2(=)
2020-05-27		​ ​ ​	272(+4.2%)	2(=)
2020-05-28		​ ​ ​	279(+2.6%)	2(=)
2020-05-29		​ ​ ​	279(=)	2(=)
2020-05-30		​ ​ ​	283(+1.4%)	2(=)
2020-05-31		​ ​ ​	285(+0.71%)	2(=)
2020-06-01		​ ​ ​	293(+2.8%)	2(=)
2020-06-02		​ ​ ​	294(+0.34%)	3(+50%)
2020-06-03		​ ​ ​	295(+0.34%)	3(=)
2020-06-04		​ ​ ​	300(+1.7%)	3(=)
2020-06-05		​ ​ ​	305(+1.7%)	3(=)
2020-06-06		​ ​ ​	322(+5.6%)	3(=)
2020-06-07		​ ​ ​	333(+3.4%)	3(=)
2020-06-08		​ ​ ​	340(+2.1%)	3(=)
2020-06-09		​ ​ ​	371(+9.1%)	3(=)
2020-06-10		​ ​ ​	398(+7.3%)	3(=)
2020-06-11		​ ​ ​	449(+13%)	3(=)
2020-06-12		​ ​ ​	472(+5.1%)	3(=)
2020-06-13		​ ​ ​	486(+3%)	3(=)
2020-06-14		​ ​ ​	490(+0.82%)	4(+33%)
2020-06-15		​ ​ ​	506(+3.3%)	4(=)
2020-06-16		​ ​ ​	520(+2.8%)	4(=)
2020-06-17		​ ​ ​	563(+8.3%)	4(=)
2020-06-18		​ ​ ​	586(+4.1%)	4(=)
2020-06-19		​ ​ ​	623(+6.3%)	4(=)
2020-06-20		​ ​ ​	627(+0.64%)	5(+25%)
2020-06-21		​ ​ ​	635(+1.3%)	5(=)
2020-06-22		​ ​ ​	643(+1.3%)	6(+20%)
2020-06-23		​ ​ ​	674(+4.8%)	7(+17%)
2020-06-24		​ ​ ​	690(+2.4%)	7(=)
2020-06-25		​ ​ ​	706(+2.3%)	8(+14%)
2020-06-26		​ ​ ​	728(+3.1%)	8(=)
2020-06-27		​ ​ ​	745(+2.3%)	8(=)
2020-06-28		​ ​ ​	781(+4.8%)	11(+38%)
2020-06-29		​ ​ ​	795(+1.8%)	11(=)
2020-06-30		​ ​ ​	812(+2.1%)	11(=)
2020-07-01		​ ​ ​	840(+3.4%)	11(=)
2020-07-02		​ ​ ​	873(+3.9%)	11(=)
2020-07-03		​ ​ ​	909(+4.1%)	13(+18%)
2020-07-04		​ ​ ​	954(+5%)	13(=)
2020-07-05		​ ​ ​	988(+3.6%)	13(=)
2020-07-06		​ ​ ​	1,011(+2.3%)	13(=)
2020-07-07		​ ​ ​	1,056(+4.5%)	14(+7.7%)
2020-07-08		​ ​ ​	1,138(+7.8%)	14(=)
2020-07-09		​ ​ ​	1,213(+6.6%)	17(+21%)
2020-07-10		​ ​ ​	1,257(+3.6%)	18(+5.9%)
2020-07-11		​ ​ ​	1,311(+4.3%)	18(=)
2020-07-12		​ ​ ​	1,351(+3.1%)	20(+11%)
2020-07-13		​ ​ ​	1,389(+2.8%)	20(=)
2020-07-14		​ ​ ​	1,434(+3.2%)	20(=)
2020-07-15		​ ​ ​	1,489(+3.8%)	20(=)
2020-07-16		​ ​ ​	1,552(+4.2%)	21(+5%)
2020-07-17		​ ​ ​	1,619(+4.3%)	21(=)
2020-07-18		​ ​ ​	1,729(+6.8%)	21(=)
2020-07-19		​ ​ ​	1,793(+3.7%)	21(=)
2020-07-20		​ ​ ​	1,826(+1.8%)	23(+9.5%)
2020-07-21		​ ​ ​	1,894(+3.7%)	24(+4.3%)
2020-07-22		​ ​ ​	1,938(+2.3%)	25(+4.2%)
2020-07-23		​ ​ ​	2,021(+4.3%)	28(+12%)
2020-07-24		​ ​ ​	2,073(+2.6%)	28(=)
2020-07-25		​ ​ ​	2,142(+3.3%)	28(=)
2020-07-26		​ ​ ​	2,207(+3%)	32(+14%)
2020-07-27		​ ​ ​	2,316(+4.9%)	34(+6.2%)
2020-07-28		​ ​ ​	2,404(+3.8%)	39(+15%)
2020-07-29		​ ​ ​	2,551(+6.1%)	40(+2.6%)
2020-07-30		​ ​ ​	2,577(+1%)	40(=)
2020-07-31		​ ​ ​	2,648(+2.8%)	41(+2.5%)
2020-08-01		​ ​ ​	2,706(+2.2%)	43(+4.9%)
2020-08-02		​ ​ ​	2,775(+2.5%)	43(=)
2020-08-03		​ ​ ​	2,838(+2.3%)	45(+4.7%)
2020-08-04		​ ​ ​	2,856(+0.63%)	49(+8.9%)
2020-08-05		​ ​ ​	2,909(+1.9%)	53(+8.2%)
2020-08-06		​ ​ ​	2,968(+2%)	55(+3.8%)
2020-08-07		​ ​ ​	3,036(+2.3%)	56(+1.8%)
2020-08-08		​ ​ ​	3,128(+3%)	56(=)
2020-08-09		​ ​ ​	3,236(+3.5%)	58(+3.6%)
2020-08-10		​ ​ ​	3,309(+2.3%)	61(+5.2%)
2020-08-11		​ ​ ​	3,410(+3.1%)	63(+3.3%)
2020-08-12		​ ​ ​	3,525(+3.4%)	63(=)
2020-08-13		​ ​ ​	3,599(+2.1%)	65(+3.2%)
2020-08-14		​ ​ ​	3,670(+2%)	68(+4.6%)
2020-08-15		​ ​ ​	3,745(+2%)	69(+1.5%)
2020-08-16		​ ​ ​	3,839(+2.5%)	70(+1.4%)

March

On 14 March, the country's first case of COVID-19 was confirmed . A 33-year-old woman, who returned from the United States at the end of February and then travelled to Lesotho before returning home to Eswatini, entered isolation.[9] Two suspected cases were identified by 11 March 2020, the first a woman returning from Denmark (or possibly Germany[10]), and the other a woman who had hosted visitors from Germany.[11]

On 24 March, the ministry of health announced a fifth confirmed case. A 52-year-old male who had traveled to the United States earlier in the same month had tested positive.[12]

During March, nine persons tested positive. At the end of the month all nine cases were still active.[13]

April

On 16 April, the country recorded its first COVID-19-related death, a 59-year-old man with diabetes as an underlying condition.[14] This month, 91 persons tested positive, bringing the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak to 100. At the end of April, 87 cases were active.[15]

May

During the month 185 persons tested positive, bringing the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak to 285. The death toll rose to 2. By the end of May, 94 cases were active (8% more than at the end of April).[16]

June

On 23 June, the government announced it would ban alcohol as of 1 July in an attempt to contain the spread after a rapid increase in new cases over the previous two weeks.[17]

During June, 527 persons tested positive, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 812. The death toll rose to 11. By the end of June, 393 cases were active (318% more than at the end of May).[18]

July

There were 1836 new cases in July, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2648. The death toll rose to 40. By the end of July, 1215 patients had recovered while 1393 cases were active (254% more than at the end of June).[19]

See also

• COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
• COVID-19 pandemic by country and territory

References

1. "Eswatini Coronavirus: Worldometer". www.worldometers.info. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
2. "eSwatini confirms first coronavirus case". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
3. Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
4. Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
5. "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
6. "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
7. "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
8. Future scenarios of the healthcare burden of COVID-19 in low- or middle-income countries, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London.
9. "Eswatini in Southern Africa reports first coronavirus case". The Jerusalem Post. Reuters. 14 March 2020. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
10. "eSwatini quarantines two suspected Covid-19 cases". apanews.net. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
11. "Two suspected cases of the Coronavirus registered in eSwatini". Mpumalanga News. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
12. "5th Case of Coronavirus in eSwatini". Swazi Observer. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
13. "Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation report 72" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 April 2020. p. 8. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
14. "Eswatini records its first Covid-19 death". News24. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
15. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 102" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 May 2020. p. 6. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
16. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 133" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 June 2020. p. 7. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
17. Online, Peace FM. "Eswatini Bans Alcohol After Surge Of Coronavirus Cases". Peacefmonline.com - Ghana news. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
18. "Coronavirus: Eswatini bans alcohol for 2 months". Anadolu Agency. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
19. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 194" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 August 2020. p. 4. Retrieved 3 August 2020.