The COVID-19 pandemic in Liberia was a part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached Liberia in March 2020.[2]
COVID-19 pandemic in Liberia | |
---|---|
Disease | COVID-19 |
Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
Location | Liberia |
First outbreak | Wuhan, China |
Index case | Margibi County |
Arrival date | 16 March 2020 (4 years, 1 week and 6 days) |
Confirmed cases | 7,930[1] (updated 28 March 2024) |
Deaths | 294[1] (updated 28 March 2024) |
Government website | |
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Government-Organization/National-Public-Health-Institute-of-Liberia-NPHIL-164280647325112/ |
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]
Liberia was one of the first countries to start screening passengers for COVID-19 at airports.[12] However, initially it had just one or two functioning PCR analysis devices.[28]
On 18 March, China donated medical supplies to Liberia.[41]
On 13 April, the International Monetary Fund granted Liberia debt service relief, of an unknown amount.[42]
There has been controversy in the country over whether people with infections should be named. The National Public Health Institute of Liberia's policy was to not release names of people with infections to reduce stigmatization and protect privacy, but other government officials (President George Weah, Information Minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe) have advocated for releasing names for better contact tracing.[43]