Mukhtar Ismail, the Federal Government of Somalia’s Ministry of Health spokesperson announced the sad death of the first victim of COVID-19 in Mogadishu, Wednesday.
The spokesperson did not disclose the full identity of the deceased only that he was a 58-year-old male.
Mr Mukhtar also disclosed that the deceased was a local who did not travel outside Mogadishu.
Four more cases tested positive, he added, making the officially disclosed number of COVID-19 Somalia contractors to 12.
The revelation raised the spectre of fear and trepidation among the city residents sky-high.
Unrequited questions that immediately, following the inadequately revealing announcement, came to mind included: “If the victim did not travel outside the city, where and from whom did he contract the infection? How many more did he pass the disease to? How many undiscovered, undisclosed cases are there spreading the pandemic among the teeming populations of Mogadishu and surrounding areas?”
Somalia Minister of Health, Fawzia Abikar declared on 16 March that the first case who tested positive was a passenger coming back from abroad.
Since then, little follow-up updates had been granted raising fears high answer to some of which come in this latest announcement and the circumstances surrounding it.
