BAHRAIN witnessed a 153 per cent rise in Covid-19 infections last week.
A total of 673 new cases were registered between December 16 and 22 – up from 267 the week prior.
The average number of new cases per day also shot up to 96, from 38 a week prior, the Health Ministry said.
Of the total cases, 527 were local infections while 146 were travel-related. Among those infected, 354 were Bahrainis and 319 expatriates.
A total of 162 people tested positive after quarantine, 145 after developing symptoms, 114 through random community screening and 106 were infected by close contacts.
“Contact tracing of a symptomatic 74-year-old male citizen and his 39-year-old son revealed eight cases across two different households,” the ministry revealed in its contact tracing highlights.
“The cases were family-related and included the first index case’s son, grandchildren and daughters-in-law, all of whom had direct contact with each other during a family gathering.”
A 63-year-old male citizen who tested positive through random screening was found to have infected his wife and five children.
Meanwhile, contact tracing of a symptomatic 67-year-old Bahraini female revealed four family-related positive cases across four different households. The cases included the index case’s daughter and granddaughters, all of whom had direct contact with each other during a family gathering.
A 26-year-old Bahraini female revealed four family-related positive cases across two different households, including her husband, sons and sister.
Coronavirus infections have been rising across the six Gulf states after months of low or falling figures.
The UAE has seen a particularly sharp increase in Covid-19 infections since announcing the arrival of Omicron early this month, with 1,352 cases recorded yesterday, up from 68 on December 2.
The resurgence comes during the region’s peak tourism season, especially in the UAE which is welcoming millions of visitors to the Expo 2020 Dubai world fair and other seasonal events.
The Gulf’s most populous country, Saudi Arabia, registered 287 new infections and one death yesterday, up from daily tallies of around 50 recorded since late September.
&uuid=(email))