The COVID-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone is 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 Sierra Leone on 31 March 2020.[3]
COVID-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone | |
---|---|
Disease | COVID-19 |
Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
Location | Sierra Leone |
First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
Arrival date | 31 March 2020 (3 years, 11 months, 4 weeks and 1 day) |
Confirmed cases | 7,779[1] |
Recovered | 7,636[2] |
Deaths | 125[1] |
Government website | |
Sierra Leone News Agency - SLENA |
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.[4][5]
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[6][7] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[8][6]
On 25 March, before the country's first case was confirmed, the government declared a 12-month state of emergency.[35]
Entry into the country was restricted and religious gatherings prohibited. A three-day lockdown was announced to begin 5 April.[36]
The World Bank announced a $7.5 million grant to help Sierra Leone deal with the pandemic.[36]