| COVID-19 pandemic in Rwanda | |
|---|---|
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Rwanda |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, China |
| Index case | Kigali |
| Arrival date | 14 March 2020 (4 years, 2 months and 4 weeks) |
| Confirmed cases | 133,252[1] (updated 11 June 2024) |
| Recovered | 131,112 (17 November 2022) [2] |
Deaths | 1,468[1] (updated 11 June 2024) |
| Fatality rate | 1.33% |
| Vaccinations | 11,425,742 total vaccinations
7,011,427 first doses 4,381,843 second doses 32,472 booster shots |
The COVID-19 pandemic in Rwanda was a part of the ongoing worldwide pandemicofcoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached Rwanda in March 2020. Rwanda's response to the pandemic has received international praise for its effectiveness. Despite limited resources, the country's well organised healthcare system, rapid deployment of testing procedures and high public trust in medical authorities have led to a successful public health response.[3][4][5][6] As of 15 December 2021, there were 100,763 total confirmed cases, 1,344 confirmed deaths, 7 million first vaccine shots, and 1 critical case.
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.[7][8]
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[9][10] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[11][9] Model-based simulations for Rwanda indicate that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number Rt exceeded 1.0 in November and December 2020.[12]
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Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
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Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
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Sabin Nsanzimana has said that all COVID-positive patients were taken to a treatment centre for monitoring.[6]
In addition to the lockdown measures taken in March (see above), Rwanda National Police on 12 April announced the usage of drones to deliver messages to local communities on how to combat the coronavirus.[62]
In January 2021 additional restrictions were introduced in Kigali.[63]
On 14 March 2020, the Government of Rwanda closed all schools in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools remained closed until November 2020, when a phased reopening began with students returning to the grade they were in before the closures (thereby effectively repeating the year). During the closures various steps were implemented by the Rwanda Education Board to enable remote learning. These included national TV and radio broadcasts, the launch of a dedicated YouTube Channel and improved online resources for teachers. Despite these efforts there is evidence that many pupils experienced little or no education during the closure period. Research has indicated that fewer than half of teachers may have been able to support students' remote learning and that students from poor and rural families may have benefited the least from the distance learning measures. Concerns were also raised by head teachers and teachers about weak learners, over-aged students, girls and poor students potentially dropping out of education.[64]
