Rwandans are predicting that this afternoon’s press conference to be hosted by Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente will, among others, result in stringent Covid-19 restrictions. Ngirente’s address comes at a time the country is witnessing an eruption in daily recorded Covid-19 cases. Earlier this month, Rwanda recorded a sharp rise in new Covid-19 infections, a scenario that had been contained since February. Health authorities attributed this to the nationwide vaccination campaign that kicked off in March this year. More recently, however, the authorities say that there was increased laxity to comply with the pandemic protocols, which, in part, led to a surge in cases. To contain the situation, the public has been called to participate in the ongoing vaccination programme as well as ensure that all preventive measures are observed. At least more than 4 percent of the country’s population has been vaccinated, and officials are targeting 60 percent by end of next year. Next month, the country is expected to receive a consignment of 600,000 Covid-19 jabs to boost its inoculation drive. As it stands, 37,384 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the country since March last year, 757 of the cases were reported in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate, according to data from the Ministry of Health, stands at 11 percent. 427 patients have lost their battle against the virus, while a total of 35 are struggling for their lives in critical condition.
