Wednesday- 16th June, 2021: A search is under way in Liberia for nearly 140 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the last few weeks but who have not reported to health facilities for treatment and isolation.
The health ministry became aware of the problem when its Covid management team noticed a discrepancy between those being treated and test results as it tries to get a handle on coronavirus infections.
Health Minister Wilhelmina Jallah told the BBC that efforts to trace those who had tested positive had been unsuccessful as their contact details were incorrect.
“They put down their names and telephone numbers [but] when we call the numbers, the numbers are fake or not their numbers; they are hiding from us,” she said.
The group includes people who had gone to get a Covid test as they planned to travel outside the country.
The minister pleaded with the individuals to “please answer your phones", saying it was critical to trace them to stop further transmission of the virus.
Meanwhile, there are now more than 30 confirmed cases of the Delta variant that was first reported in India, health officials say.
Amid criticism of its handling of the pandemic, the government is now rolling out new measures to prevent a surge in infections.
