Kingdom records 15 new coronavirus cases on Monday

AMMAN — The number of coronavirus cases in Jordan has risen to 127 after 15 new cases were recorded on Monday, Health Minister Saad Jaber said.

The minister, during a press briefing at the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management, said that the new cases included five confirmed cases at Prince Hamzah Hospital, four of whom are in isolation.

Two of these cases had arrived in the Kingdom from the US, and a four-year child tested positive after his mother, a coronavirus patient, came from abroad.

Another man is also under isolation as he had come into contact with a coronavirus patient abroad prior to his return to the Kingdom.

The new cases also include a female secretary who works at Prince Hamzah Hospital, he said, noting that all staff at the hospital were tested immediately, including the director of the hospital, with no other tests coming back positive.

The infection is believed to have come from outside the hospital, Jaber said, stressing that the staff will undergo periodic testing to confirm their results.

Two individuals who travelled from Iraq are also among the new cases, in addition to a 20-year-old woman who arrived in the Kingdom from London and a man who arrived from Amsterdam. 

Jaber added that five of the new cases were in contact with people who had already been infected and attended a wedding in Irbid.

The new cases also include a person who was in contact with an infected nurse working at Al Bashir Hospital, he added.

The minister stressed that children are also at risk of COVID-19 infection, adding that among the cases reported on Sunday was a two-month-old baby and among the cases confirmed on Monday was a four-year-old child.

However, he said, the fatality rate among children is “very low” in comparison with adults and elderly people.

During the press briefing, the top official also passed on a message to young people from ages 12 to 16 who go out on the streets, warning them against leaving their homes “to protect their parents”.

He also affirmed that an 82-year-old who recently tested positive for the virus is currently listed in “excellent condition”.

On Sunday, Civil Defence Department (CDD) personnel transported thousands of patients with medical issues unrelated to coronavirus to hospitals, including 1,800 to Al Bashir Hospital, out of which only 400 needed to be hospitalised, he said, calling on the public to call the CDD whenever necessary.