The COVID-19 pandemic in São Tomé and Príncipe is part of the
worldwide pandemic of
coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...
(). The virus was confirmed to have reached
São Tomé and Príncipe on 6 April 2020.
The first death was recorded on 30 April.
Background
On 12 January 2020, the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
(WHO) confirmed that a
novel coronavirus
Novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a provisional name given to coronaviruses of medical significance before a permanent name is decided upon. Although coronaviruses are endemic in humans and infections normally mild, such as the common cold (caused by ...
was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in
Wuhan
Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city an ...
City,
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...
Province,
China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.
The
case fatality ratio
In epidemiology, case fatality rate (CFR) – or sometimes more accurately case-fatality risk – is the proportion of people diagnosed with a certain disease, who end up dying of it. Unlike a disease's mortality rate, the CFR does not take int ...
for COVID-19 has been much lower than
SARS of 2003,
but the
transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.
[ Model-based simulations indicate that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number ''Rt'' of São Tomé and Príncipe was below 1.0 in May and June 2020 but has since increased to around 1.
]
Timeline
April to June 2020
* On 6 April, the first four cases in the country were confirmed.
July to September 2020
* There were 477 new cases and four deaths in July, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 871 and the death toll to 15. There were 78 active cases at the end of the month.
* There were 25 new cases in August, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 896. The death toll remained unchanged. There were 30 active cases at the end of the month.
* There were 15 new cases in September, bringing the total number of cases to 911. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients increased to 885, leaving 11 active cases at the end of the month.
October to December 2020
* There were 34 new cases in October, bringing the total number of cases to 945. The death toll increased to 16. The number of recovered patients increased to 904, leaving 25 active cases at the end of the month.
* There were 46 new cases in November, bringing the total number of cases to 991. The death toll rose to 17. The number of recovered patients increased to 933, leaving 41 active cases at the end of the month.
* There were 23 new cases in December, taking the total number of cases to 1014. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients increased to 971, leaving 26 active cases at the end of the month.
2021
* Vaccinations started on 15 March, initially with 24,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
The Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID19 vaccine, sold under the brand names Covishield and Vaxzevria among others, is a viral vector vaccine for prevention of COVID-19. Developed in the United Kingdom by Oxford University and British-Swedish com ...
obtained through COVAX
COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, abbreviated as COVAX, is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Hea ...
.
2022
* There were 2,382 confirmed cases in 2022, bringing the total number of cases to 6,279. 2,524 patients recovered in 2022 while 20 persons died, bringing the total death toll to 77. At the end of 2022 there were no active cases.
2023
* There were 466 confirmed cases in 2023, bringing the total number of cases to 6,745. 461 patients recovered in 2023 while 3 persons died, bringing the total death toll to 80. At the end of 2023 there were 2 active cases.
Statistics
Confirmed new cases per day
Confirmed deaths per day
Prevention
In order to prevent the spread of the virus, the government has put in place various travel restrictions and quarantining measures.
Economic impact
Tourism accounts for more than 20% of employment in the country, and with activity in the sector coming to a near-halt, the economic impact has been severe.
Cases by islands
See also
* COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
The COVID-19 pandemicpandemic was confirmed to have spread to Africa on 14 February 2020, with the first confirmed case announced in Egypt. The first confirmed case in sub-Saharan Africa was announced in Nigeria at the end of February 2020. W ...
* COVID-19 pandemic by country and territory
This is a general overview and status of places affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The first human ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:COVID-19 pandemic in Sao Tome and Principe
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe
Disease outbreaks in São Tomé and Príncipe
2020 in São Tomé and Príncipe
2021 in São Tomé and Príncipe