COVID-19 pandemic in Benin


The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Benin in March 2020.

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization 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.
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.

Timeline

March 2020

On 16 March, the first COVID-19 case in the country was confirmed in Porto-Novo, the capital of Benin. Three days later, the second confirmed case was reported. The city has suspended various international flights and people coming into the country via air are being kept under 14 days' mandatory isolation. Moreover, people in Benin are advised to wear masks and go outside home only if required.
There were 9 confirmed cases and one recovery in March, leaving 8 active cases at the end of the month.

April 2020

In April there were 55 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 64. The first death from COVID-19 occurred on 5 April. The number of recovered patients increased to 33, leaving 30 active cases at the end of the month.

May 2020

There were 168 new cases in May, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 232. The death toll grew to 3. There were 110 recoveries during the month, raising the number of recovered patients to 143, leaving 86 active cases at the end of the month.

June 2020

In June there were 967 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1199. The death toll rose to 21. There were 190 recoveries during the month, bringing the number of recovered patients to 333, leaving 845 active cases at the end of the month.

July 2020

There were 606 new cases in July, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1805. The death toll rose by 15 to 36. The number of recovered patients increased by 703 to 1036, leaving 733 active cases at the end of the month.