BAHRAIN has witnessed a 56 per cent drop in the daily average of Covid-19 cases over the last two months.
The month of March recorded 39,586 infections, setting a daily average of 1,276 cases, while the following months witnessed a dramatic slump, signalling a gradual return of the country to normality.
Only 14,237 infections were reported in April with a daily average of 475, while 13,989 cases have been logged until May 15, with an average of 560 a day.
Daily cases peaked to 947 on May 9, a high after numbers dropped to as low as 279 on May 2, the lowest ever recorded this year.
Covid-19 infections – which were averaging at 700 cases a day in early January – shot up to almost 3,000 by the month-end as the Omicron variant battered the globe. The month saw the highest number of infections – 6,659 – on January 28.
Decline
The spike continued until mid-February, recording an average of almost 6,500 a day. Subsequently, the numbers started declining with daily average dropping by 50pc during the rest of the month. The highest in February was 8,173 cases on the first and the lowest was 2,416 on February 26.
The decline continued in March as well, peaking at 2,752 on the first day of the month, dropping to 644 on March 26.
April saw a daily average of 475 cases with the highest of 681 recorded on April 3 and the lowest of 339 on the last day. However, the numbers have begun to rise this month.
Meanwhile, the infection claimed 10 lives in the last 25 days. Two people died on May 22 while one each succumbed to the virus on May 23, 24 and 25.
This takes the death toll from Covid-19 this year to 91 (until May 25) – 14 in January, 46 in February, 17 in March and four last month. A total of 1,042 people died last year (2021) compared to 352 from March to December 2020. Bahrain recorded its first Covid-19 death on March 16, 2020.
The death toll until March 25 (1,485) is 0.26pc of the total cases.
Bahrain has registered 582,695 Covid-19 cases since the virus took hold in February 2020, of which 577,770 have recovered. A total of 3,875 active cases were reported on Thursday night.
The country has adopted a robust strategy to tame the infection based on Trace, Track and Treat, incorporating all available treatments and medications and an effective and successful national vaccination campaign.
Almost 80pc of the estimated 1.5m population (1,220,231) have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine until Thursday, while 81pc (1,236,600) have taken at least one shot.
A total of 950,713 (63.3pc) people have taken the booster jab as well.
In the latest development, Bahrain has begun offering an optional Covid booster shot to individuals aged 12-17 periodically – every nine months from the date of their last booster shot. The National Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus announced the decision last week, based on the latest epidemiological data and following approval by the Government Executive Committee.
Adolescents can take the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as a second booster shot, or the same vaccine they opted for the first booster.
Recovered individuals can take the second optional booster shot six months after the date of infection, and nine months following the first booster.
The task force said the green shield in the BeAware Bahrain app will not change to yellow even if eligible individuals do not opt for a second or future additional booster shots.
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