A communication under the signature of Health Minister Dr. Wilhemina S. Jallah says Liberia’s Vice President Jewel Howard – Taylor has been tested positive of COVID – 19 on 10 August, and she has requested to travel out of the country for treatment.
“I am pleased to present my compliments and inform you that H.E. Madam Jewel Howard – Taylor, has been tested positive of COVID – 19 on August 10, 2020, and she has requested to travel out of the country for treatment,” a communication circulating on social media from Health Minister Jallah says.
“Based on the advice of her doctor, the Incident Management System (IMS) is granting her permission to travel to seek treatment,” the communication dated 11 August adds.
The communication makes its way onto social media as the Liberia News Agency (LINA) comes under intense criticisms for quoting unconfirmed source in its publication that Vice President Taylor is Covid-19 positive, disregarding a press release from her office which had informed the public about what it said was her health status.
LINA has made an apology “for the inaccuracy of the report” though, but the Health Minister’s communication says the Vice President is Covid-19 positive.
According to the press release from the Office of the Vice President, Madam Howard-Taylor was earlier admitted at the Aspen Medical Facility in Sinkor, Monrovia, on Friday 7 August due to respiratory complications.
The release said Vice President Howard-Taylor was said to have responded favorably to treatment and the state of her health stabilized.
However, the release said it was advised that the Vice President seeks further medical attention at a more advanced facility with specialty in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory ailments.
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As of 10:00 PM, Tuesday, 11 August, the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) said there were two new confirmed cases, one new death and one new recovery reported.
With that figure from 11 August, it means Liberia has 432 active confirmed cases, 82 deaths and 738 total recovered cases. Liberia has had 1252 total confirmed cases of coronavirus since the outbreak here, according to NPHIL.
Madam Howard-Taylor, was on Tuesday, 11 August flown out of Liberia to seek additional medical care at a specialist hospital in Accra, Ghana.
