The Solomon Islands has recorded 465 new cases of COVID-19 over a 72-hour reporting period.
The cumulative total number of positive COVID-19 cases in the country now stands at 9,124.
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Pauline McNeil, gave the update during the oversight committee’s talk back show on the national broadcaster, SIBC, over the weekend.
Of the 465 new cases recorded, 85 are in Honiara, 18 in Guadalcanal, 16 in Malaita, 39 in Central, 117 in West, 43 in Choiseul, 109 in Makira, 33 in Rennell Bellona, and 5 in Isabel. Temotu is the only province in the country that remains COVID-19 free.
In terms of hospitalization at the national referral hospital (NRH) in Honiara, there are now only 5 COVID-19 related admissions. The central field hospital (CFH) is still empty, with no new admissions over the past 72 hours.
The Permanent Secretary for Health says in terms of response, a lot more resources are now being shifted to the provinces, where outbreaks have now been recorded in almost all of the provinces.
Special Secretary to the Prime Minister (SPM), Dr. Jimmie Rodgers, clarified that positive COVID-19 cases recorded in Honiara are in fact declining, and most of the new cases recorded are from people that came in from the provinces by boat after restrictions were eased.