It is exactly two years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country on March 5, 2020. But the number of new positive cases this year is four times more than new cases detected in 2020 and 2021 combined. The increase is attributed to the highly transmissible omicron variant.
11,791 people tested positive for COVID this year till yesterday.
In 2020, there were just 670 positive cases. And the number of new cases detected last year was nearly three times more compared to 2020. 1990 new cases were recorded last year.
The country registered more than 14,000 confirmed positive cases with seven deaths since 2020. And more than 10,000 recovered so far.
Bhutan confirmed its first COVID case in a 76-year-old man from the United States of America on the night of March 5, 2020. The tourist tested positive in Thimphu. The government then imposed various restrictions.
The border gates closed on March 23. Schools and offices started functioning from homes. The Druk Gyalpo’s Relief Kidu then started supporting thousands of individuals affected by the pandemic through monthly income and loan interest payments to borrowers. The support continues even today.
It’s been tough-going. While the number of cases continues to rise, the cases may not translate to an increase in hospitalisations because of the high booster rate. If everyone wore a mask, the outbreak would be over.
Two years anniversary is a time for Bhutanese to reflect on how far they have come and how successful Bhutan has been at managing the pandemic.
