Life

Bonn: Legendary Cameroonian artist releases new song on coronavirus

9, May 2020

Bonn: Legendary Cameroonian artist releases new song on coronavirus 0

Cameroonian legendary artist, Asamor has made public a new song entitled “Dr Coro Coro” composed while in quarantine after he reportedly contracted the coronavirus.

Asamor paints the virus as dangerous and deadly and cautioned humanity to be more protective.

The album is to sensitize, sympathize, give courage, bring joy and comfort to all during this difficult moment of total lockdown.

The musician based in Bonn, Germany who is set to tour the Shengen Zone for a series of shows immediately after the lockdown explored the new hit showering praises to the Almighty God for all those healed from the pandemic.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Yaounde to do “robust, large scale” COVID-19 testing

8, May 2020

Yaounde to do “robust, large scale” COVID-19 testing 0

Cameroon is poised to do “robust and large scale” COVID-19 testing, Minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachie said on Friday.

“We will now test more people rapidly,” Manaouda told reporters in the capital Yaounde, “this will significantly accelerate our battle on the field, especially at the airports.”

Manaouda made the remarks after the country’s president Paul Biya recently donated to the government 5,000 rapid test kits.

According to Africa CDC, Cameroon has registered a total of 2,265 confirmed COVID-19 cases from 10,268 tests.

Source: Xinhuanet

How does the coronavirus infect children? And should they be in school?

8, May 2020

How does the coronavirus infect children? And should they be in school? 0

With parents and policymakers agonising over when to reopen schools as lockdowns ease, scientists are still struggling to find out how the new coronavirus affects children.

While youngsters can become infected with the new coronavirus, very few have died or contracted serious symptoms. But could they still spread contagion?

Here is what we know so far.

– Are children at risk? –

This is one of the few questions where there is broad agreement. Only a tiny proportion of children appear to have become seriously ill with COVID-19.

“There are three key questions: How much do children get COVID-19; how badly does it affect them; and do they spread it to others?” said Russell Viner, President of Britain’s Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

“We only have good data about the second of these.”

Specialists writing for the British pediatric website Don’t Forget The Bubbles (DFTB) said in a recent roundup of international research that only around one percent of critical cases involved children, while “deaths remain extremely rare”.

– Do they get infected? –

The short answer is yes.

“Research indicates that children and adolescents are just as likely to become infected as any other age group and can spread the disease,” says the World Health Organization.

But this is not reflected in global official data about the virus, with many countries largely focusing their COVID-19 testing on those who have gone to hospital with severe symptoms.

France’s health agency, which has amalgamated data from a host of international studies, said pediatric cases represent between one and five percent of all officially-documented global infections.

It said this is because children catch the virus, but generally exhibit only “mild” symptoms — or no symptoms at all — meaning they go uncounted.

But other experts believe that children, especially those under the age of 10, might not be getting infected as much in the first place.

“It appears fairly convincing that children are less likely to acquire the infection than adults, by a significant amount,” said specialists Alasdair Munro and Damian Roland of DFTB.

Their conclusions were based on several international contact tracing studies that looked at how the disease spread and to whom.

They also assessed data from places that have carried out mass community-wide testing — South Korea, Iceland and the Italian principality of Vo — all of which found that the proportion of infected children was far smaller than adults.

– But are they silent vectors? –

This is the area of greatest uncertainty.

Initially researchers believed they could be spreading the disease, drawing comparisons with other viruses like the flu where children help accelerate infections.

But recent studies on the new coronavirus suggest that they are less likely to transmit the virus.

In one incident, a nine-year-old was among 12 people infected in a super-spreading event at a chalet in the Haute-Savoie region of France, after a British man returned from Singapore and went on a ski holiday.

A study of the incident — one of the first major clusters of infection in France — showed that the child, who only displayed mild symptoms, came into contact with 172 people while sick.

None of them contracted COVID-19, not even the youngster’s two siblings. But the child did transmit other winter viruses, including the flu.

Children could be less infectious because they do not have as many symptoms and do not cough, French expert Arnaud Fontanet told a parliamentary hearing last week.

But a German study last month led by virologist Christian Drosten, an adviser to Angela Merkel, concluded that children had a viral load comparable to that of adults.

They “could be as contagious”, it added.

Other scientists, including Munro, have disputed both the methodology of that study and its conclusion. Re-analysing the data they said it might even be possible to draw the opposite conclusion — that age and viral load are correlated.

Even so, we cannot say for sure that a higher viral load makes a person more infectious.

– A new threat? –

In recent weeks, a spate of cases of children affected by an inflammatory illness resembling a rare condition called Kawasaki disease has caused alarm.

Symptoms are high fever, abdominal pain, rash and swollen glands. If untreated, patients can suffer heart failure, but those who are given medical care respond well.

A few dozen cases have been reported in New York, France, Britain, Italy and Spain and while no link has been formally established to the new coronavirus, scientists believe it could be connected.

In an article published this week in the medical journal The Lancet, British doctors describing eight cases observed in London said it could be “a new phenomenon” affecting previously-asymptomatic children with the coronavirus “manifesting as a hyperinflammatory syndrome”.

Reports of the illness came just as several countries in Europe were mulling reopening schools, kindling fears among parents. But experts say the cases are too rare to affect policy decisions.

– Should the schools open? –

On this there is much disagreement.

Authorities in Italy, which has the oldest teachers of OECD nations with almost 60 percent aged over 50, have expressed concern that reopening schools would risk infecting staff and reigniting the epidemic.

But many other countries, including Germany, Denmark and France, have prioritised reopening schools as they unwind lockdown measures.

In France, scientific estimates that it would be better to keep schools shut until September were outweighed by concerns about other social issues, particularly those facing children from troubled families.

“School can be a haven of peace,” explained Jean-Francois Delfraissy, who leads the scientific committee advising the government.

Other experts argue that the benefits of continuing education far outweigh the risks.

In a column published this week in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, Munro and British infectious disease specialist Saul Faust called on governments to allow children to resume lessons, regardless of underlying health conditions, and conduct detailed surveillance to monitor safety.

“Children are not COVID-19 super-spreaders: time to go back to school,” they said.

Source: AFP

Cameroon doctor faces influx of COVID-19 patients

7, May 2020

Cameroon doctor faces influx of COVID-19 patients 0

With the help of a nurse, Dominique Djomo puts on his personal protective equipment – a cap, coveralls, protective glasses, visor and gloves – and starts another day dealing with an influx of COVID-19 cases.

The anesthesiologist’s work at Douala’s gynaecology, obstetrics and pediatric hospital has changed beyond recognition since the first case of the new coronavirus was detected in Cameroon in early March.

The Central African country now has one of the highest case rates in the region, with over 2,000 people infected and more than 60 dead.

While scenes of overwhelmed hospital wards have been broadcast from across Europe and the United States, most African countries have so far been spared much of the mayhem.

As cases rise, however, doctors are beginning to get a taste of the challenges that lie ahead.

Djomo used to spend his days between the operating theatre and emergency rooms and carrying out consultations. Now, the new coronavirus and the people it affects dictate his time.

“I have … no rest, no weekends, no peaceful nights, it is the patients who run my programme,” said the 39-year-old. “This is not the usual care. There are many more precautions to take.”

Douala paediatric hospital was picked by the government as one of a few centres to receive critically ill COVID-19 patients. It has since received over 200 patients, dozens of whom were hospitalized, Djomo said.

Djomo and his team frequently work 24-hour shifts. Last week, when a Reuters crew visited the hospital, the resuscitation ward was full, its 12 beds occupied by patients.

A lack of space and a shortage of critical supplies such as ventilators has forced Djomo to make some difficult calls.

During the Reuters visit, he had to turn down a request from another clinic that wanted to transfer a patient to the hospital because he only had five ventilators and they were all being used.

Djomo’s family and friends worry that he may get infected.

As in many parts of the world, protective equipment is running short for medical staff in the hospital, including overalls. More than 20 healthcare workers have been infected in Cameroon and at least two doctors have died, said a senior health official.

“I would personally like to make my contribution, that at the end of this epidemic I can be satisfied with myself,” said Djomo. “Family, friends ask me to be careful. But we remind them that it can happen to everyone. Anyone can be sick.”

Source: Whtc.com

Buea University Don summoned over question on Ambazonia crisis

6, May 2020

Buea University Don summoned over question on Ambazonia crisis 0

Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor alias Agbor Balla, Instructor at the English Law Department, Faculty of Laws and Political Science of the University of Buea has been summoned by authorities to justify why he set an examination question on the Anglophone Crisis.

The Disciplinary Hearing opens at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at the Board Room of the Central Administrative Block, said Prof. Atangcho Nji Akonumbo, Dean of the Faculty of Laws and Political Science.

The rights activist is said to have breached professional obligations when he set an exam question on the Anglophone Crisis in a first semester level one course titled “Political and Constitutional History of Cameroon”. The question read: “The Anglophone crisis since 2016 was caused by lawyers’ and teachers’ strikes. Assess the validity of this statement. (40 marks).”

An “Invitation Letter to a Disciplinary Hearing” dated April 29, 2020 was only delivered to Agbor Balla’s office at the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA) at 12:08 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, 2020, Cameroon-Info.Net has learnt. Although Agbor Balla was not on seat, the invite was received on his behalf by one of his collaborators at CHRDA where he is founder/president.

In the invitation letter, Prof. Atangcho writes: “On the instruction of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buea, and in keeping with article 16 of decree No. 93/036 of 29th January 1993, you are being invited to appear before a constituted Disciplinary Panel of the University to hear allegations against you for non-compliance of professional obligations for a question you set on LAW243: Political and Constitutional History of Cameroon, during the 2019/2020 first semester examination.”

The Minister of State  for Higher Education and Chancellor of Academic Orders,  Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo had on April 20 instructed the Vice-Chancellor of  the University of Buea ,Professor Horace Ngomo Manga  to put a definite end to all  on-campus activities of  Agbor Balla which breach the “ethics and deontology”  of the University.

Cameroon-Info.Net recalls that when the crisis in the North West and South West regions started in October 2016 with the Lawyers’ and later Teachers’ strike, Agbor Balla was President of the Fako Lawyer’s Association (FAKLA) as well as President of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, CACSC.

When pressure came to bear on government, the CACSC was banned on January 17, 2017 and Agbor Balla arrested same day along with Dr. Fontem Neba who served as Secretary General of the Consortium.

Brought before the Yaoundé military court for promoting terrorism among other charges that carry the maximum sentence, Agbor Balla was freed when President Biya ordered the discontinuance of proceedings against him and others on August 30, 2017.

Human Rights Lawyer Agbor Balla’s trouble at the University of Buea may not be unconnected to his indictment of government for the February 14, 2020 killings in Ngarbuh.

Culled from Cameroon Info.Net

WHO rejects Trump, Pompeo’s claim Covid-19 originated from Wuhan laboratory

5, May 2020

WHO rejects Trump, Pompeo’s claim Covid-19 originated from Wuhan laboratory 0

The World Health Organization says the US has provided no evidence to support US President Donald Trump’s claim that the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab.

“We have not received any data or specific evidence from the United States government relating to the purported origin of the virus — so from our perspective, this remains speculative,” the UN health agency’s emergencies director Michael Ryan said.

Trump claims to have proof the new coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak started in a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Last month, the US president halted funding to the World Health Organisation after he accused the UN boy of initially downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak to “shield China.”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo doubled down on the assertion that the outbreak originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan,” Pompeo told ABC News on Sunday.

China has vehemently denied suggestions the lab was the source.

The WHO emergencies director said, “Like any evidence-based organisation, we would be very willing to receive any information that purports to the origin of the virus.” Ryan stressed that this was “a very important piece of public health information for future control.

“If that data and evidence is available, then it will be for the United States government to decide whether and when it can be shared, but it is difficult for the WHO to operate in an information vacuum in that regard,” he added.

Scientists have condemned conspiracy theories about the Chinese laboratory, saying the new coronavirus jumped from animals to humans, emerging in China late last year, possibly from a market in Wuhan selling exotic animals for meat.

Top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci echoed the WHO’s statement, saying that, “If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats and what’s out there now, (the scientific evidence) is very, very strongly leaning toward this could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated.”

“Everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that (this virus) evolved in nature and then jumped species,” he said.

Intelligence assessment contradicts Trump, Pompeo’s claim

Intel shared among US allies indicated it is “highly unlikely” that the coronavirus outbreak was spread as a result of an accident in a laboratory but rather originated in a Chinese market.

“It is highly likely it was naturally occurring and that the human infection was from natural human and animal interaction,” an official from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing coalition said.

The Five Eyes alliance is made up of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

A source from the Five Eyes nation said that “clearly the market is where the new coronavirus exploded from,” but how the virus got to the market remains unclear.

China’s state-owned Global Times newspaper slammed Pompeo’s Wuhan lab claim, saying that the former CIA director had “stunned the world with groundless accusations.”

“Since Pompeo said his claims are supported by ‘enormous evidence,’ then he should present this so-called evidence to the world, and especially to the American public who he continually tries to fool,” Global Times said.

As the war of words escalates between Washington and Beijing over the coronavirus pandemic, critics say the Trump administration has ramped up efforts to blame China for the global outbreak as it faces growing criticism at home for its own handling of the pandemic.

Nearly 70,000 people died of the coronavirus in the US, and 1,180,634 virus cases were recorded as of early Tuesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Source: Presstv

The potential of a Cameroonian Functional Food, ‘Achu Soup’(Star Yellow) in managing the spread of Covid-19

5, May 2020

The potential of a Cameroonian Functional Food, ‘Achu Soup’(Star Yellow) in managing the spread of Covid-19 0

As the world continues looking for ways of stopping the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 and containing the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that we all make this process easier for scientists by respecting the prescribed sanitation and social distancing prescriptions aimed at limiting transmission via nasal and respiratory secretions of infected persons. As researchers better understand aspects of the virus, there is now evidence of the occurrence and shedding of active COVID-19 virus in the stools of infected persons.  The presence of live virus in stools indicates its presence in the human gastrointestinal tract, where there are trillions of other microorganisms (mainly bacteria of different species) comprising the human micro biome.  The bacteria that make up the human micro biome are much larger than the SARS-CoV-2 and could serve as hosts to the virus, thereby helping its replication.  Previous research work reported influenza virus’ (a relative of SARS-CoV-2) infection of the Streptococcus pneumonia (bacteria that causes respiratory tract infections) making respiratory tract infections worse.  It is therefore possible that the human micro biome could serve as a good host of SARS-CoV-2.  Eliminating the coronavirus from the gastrointestinal tract or stopping its replication will therefore provide an effective means of stopping the shedding of the active virus via feces, cutting out that potential route of transmission.

Presently there is no well-studied treatment, and an acceptable vaccine is not likely to be available in the short term.  We have to bear in mind that this is a new virus, one that the human immune system had not been exposed to prior to the last few months of 2019.  On the contrary, our micro biome has been with us from birth and is constantly changing based on the foods we are exposed to.  This therefore means that the dietary habits of a people determine the bacteria that they host, as well as the functioning of their immune system and ability to manage certain infections.  At this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, maybe it is more important than ever before to pay more attention to what goes into our gastrointestinal tract, with the knowledge that our foods should be our most important medication.

Considering the variety and richness of the Cameroonian cuisine, it is likely that the micro biome of Cameroonians is just as rich and varied.  Ascertaining the protective role of this micro biome, thus constitutes a major focus of our research work at the J & A Oben Foundation.  Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the J & A Oben Foundation has worked in collaboration with other researchers (Jude Bigoga, Guy Takuissu, Ismael Teta and Rose Leke) to investigate the potential of a fortified ‘Yellow Soup’ called ‘STAR YELLOW” to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 via feces.  Star Yellow differs from the well-known Yellow Soup widely consumed and sold in restaurants by the addition of ground melon seed (egusi) and garlic, known for their high zinc content and antibacterial activity respectively. The high zinc content inhibits viral replication.  As well as garlic’s antibacterial, antioxidant and anticoagulant activity, it’s high inulin content provides fuel for the growth of ‘good bacteria’ in the micro biome.  As well as the presence of all the functional ingredients in Star Yellow, what makes it stand out is its chemistry, which though basic, could be important in the management of the spread of COVID-19.   The initial steps in the preparation of Star Yellow involve the mixing of palm oil (a lipid) and limestone or sodium bicarbonate (a base) in the presence of water.  This process in simple chemistry terms is referred to as ‘saponification’.  SARS-CoV-2 is spherical and consists of ribonucleic acid (RNA), lipids and proteins (spikes protruding from their surface giving the appearance of a crown).  There are no strong bonds holding these units together, which means that even mild chemicals like Star Yellow will split them apart.  Basically the Star Yellow will dissolve the fat membrane of the virus and the virus falls apart.  If this process occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, the RNA of SARS-CoV-2 is exposed to zinc from the diet that stops its replication, making the virus inactive. 

If ongoing work by our research group turns out to be conclusive, Star Yellow could be useful in ridding the gastrointestinal tract of active viruses just as other products of saponification work on the skin.  This could limit the spread of COVID-19 through feces in areas with poor hygienic conditions. The above reminds me of a conversation I had with the Late Professor Victor Anoma Ngu during which he said, “good science doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated science, but a good researcher should be able to find simple solutions to complex problems”.  In the meantime, Cameroonians should protect themselves by washing their hands regularly, wearing protective masks, practicing social distancing and eating a balanced diet that will strengthen their immune system and provide a healthy micro biome.

*Professor Julius Oben is also Co-founder of the J&A Oben Foundation, Lead Researcher at its Nutrition and Dietetics Research Centre (CANDIREC), Supervisor of its Wellness and Nutrition Centre and Proprietor of its Professional School of Dietetics and Functional Foods (CEFOPDIET)

French Cameroun: Hundreds Rush for Archbishop Kleda’s herbal COVID-19 ‘cure’

3, May 2020

French Cameroun: Hundreds Rush for Archbishop Kleda’s herbal COVID-19 ‘cure’ 0

Cameroonians have been flooding into the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Douala, where Archbishop Samuel Kleda claims he has found an herbal cure for COVID-19.

The popularity of the archbishop’s alleged cure has prompted some authorities to try to make the treatment more widely available, even though medical experts have urged extreme caution about its use.

Paul Nyaga, curate of St. Paul’s Parish of the Douala Archdiocese, said through a messaging application that since information circulated a week ago that Kleda could treat COVID-19, many have been rushing to his parish for help.

He said the parish had been overwhelmed by the number of people coming from Yaounde, Bafoussam and Douala with test results showing that they were COVID-19-positive and saying they did not have access to treatment. He said he told them to go to Catholic hospitals in the archdiocese, where they would be treated when there were additional supplies of the archbishop’s herbal remedy.

Among the hundreds asking for help was hairdresser Clementine Eya, 27, who also spoke via a messaging application from Douala.

She said she had no money to pay for the hospital treatment of her elder sister, who tested COVID-19-positive in Douala and wanted to see the archbishop because she had been told his treatment was efficient and free.

Several dozen treated

Kleda told state media CRTV on April 25 that he had treated several dozen people, including eight medical staff members, for conditions affecting their respiratory systems, just like the coronavirus does.

Kleda, speaking via a messaging application from Douala, said he could confirm that his 30 years of medicinal plant research experience, especially on herbal treatment, had enabled him to find a cure for COVID-19.

He said he was very happy because everyone who had taken the herbal remedy had been cured of COVID-19.  He added that that his goal as a servant of God was to help poor and suffering people, and that was why he gave away the cure, which he named Essential Oils, free of charge.

Last week, the Cameroonian government sent a team of researchers and doctors to determine the validity of Kleda’s claimed cure. Public Health Minister Malachie Manaouda said the government’s support would be determined by the outcome of the investigation. He said if Kleda was proven to be right, the government would make it more widely available for COVID-19 patients.

The Cameroon Medical Council and the Cameroon Academy of Sciences have both called for research to determine the efficiency of Essential Oils.

Advice: Rely on hospitals

Dieudonne Kameni of the Cameroon Medical Council said that for now, COVID-19 patients should count only on treatment at authorized government hospitals.

He said by telephone from Douala that medical practice has rules, regulations and professional  ethics that must be observed before drugs can be used in patients, but that the archbishop’s collection of herbs was still at a preclinical testing stage and could not be scientifically called a cure for COVID-19. He said he was asking patients to go to hospitals, which for now were the only sure places COVID-19 could be treated.

Kleda said he would continue administering the treatment to patients who sought help from him while waiting for scientists to complete their findings. Many patients have, however, complained of the difficulty of obtaining Essential Oils because of high demand.

Cameroon has been hit harder by the coronavirus than any other country in Central Africa. As of Saturday afternoon EDT, the country had recorded 2,077 confirmed cases, with 64 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics.

Source: VOA

No room for debate in S. Cameroons UNIs as Education Minister censors discussion of Ambazonia Crisis

2, May 2020

No room for debate in S. Cameroons UNIs as Education Minister censors discussion of Ambazonia Crisis 0

The suspension of a university professor’s classes in Cameroon has raised fears that the government wants to silence those who dare raise the subject of the country’s Anglophone crisis.

Since late 2016, Anglophone regions of Cameroon have been gripped in violence between government forces and armed groups seeking a separate state. The crisis has claimed thousands of lives.

The government has repeatedly denied that its security forces have committed abuses during the crisis, but now it seems to be taking matters even further.

On April 20, the minister of higher education sent a letter to Buea University alleging that law professor Felix Agbor Nkongho, also known as Agbor-Balla, breached “the university’s code of ethics and conduct” and called on the head of the university to take measures. Agbor-Balla’s classes were then suspended.

Agbor-Balla told Human Rights Watch that he believes the suspension of his classes was because of an assignment in which he asked students to explore the reasons behind the Anglophone crisis. He added that it was only meant to get the law students to think critically and put the crisis into a legal context.

“I don’t discuss politics in the classroom,” he said.

A Ministry of Higher Education representative told Radio France International that Agbor-Balla had “turned a classroom into a political space.”

It is not the first time teachers got into trouble for discussing current events in Cameroon. On September 13, 2019, a teacher at the high school in Avebe-Esse, a village in the South region, was arrested after mentioning in class that the government was considering allowing jailed opposition leader Maurice Kamto to participate in a national dialogue. The teacher was released five days later.

Agbor-Balla had been arrested in January 2017 for leading peaceful protests in Buea along with other Anglophone activists. Charged by a military court under the anti-terrorism law, he was eventually released in August 2017 and all charges were dropped.

Since then, he has advocated for upholding human rights during the crisis, denouncing abuses by both the military and the armed separatists.

University students should be encouraged to debate the most pressing issues of the day. The suspension of Agbor-Balla’s courses shows the government wants to stifle that debate.

Culled from Human Rights Watch

COVID-19: Cameroon’s absentee and alcohol-inflamed president ends fake lockdown

2, May 2020

COVID-19: Cameroon’s absentee and alcohol-inflamed president ends fake lockdown 0

Cameroonians have been celebrating ever since the country’s absentee president, Paul Biya, terminated a fake lockdown he imposed some four weeks ago.

As per the false lockdown, Cameroonians could go about their daily businesses in the afternoon as if the virus was not around or could not attack anybody during the day, but must return home before 6pm.

They were not allowed to sit in their bars to share a drink, but could soak themselves in alcohol at home with their families.

For Mr. Biya, a disciple of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, all life is predicated upon alcohol. He himself has been drinking for decades, passing off as a chemist to the point of ruining his health.

Cameroonians are currently committing suicide in their bars, with Mr. Biya and his corrupt and incompetent government officials watching from a distance the heartrending human tragedy that will reach its apogee in a fortnight.

Social distancing has been a huge part of the global health strategy aimed at overwhelming the Coronavirus that has left a trail of death and destruction across world.

Ending the lockdown is simply synonymous with making mincemeat of social distancing that has postponed death for many people across the globe.

With Mr. Biya declaring that Cameroonians can converge on many places and in large numbers, many health experts are already worried, with the World Health Organization (WHO) warning that a hasty termination of the ill-thought-out lockdown might trigger a storm of death and pain in many African countries, especially in Cameroon which is bereft of state-of-the-art health facilities that can cope with a tsunami of sick and desperate people.

Opening up an economy in the era of COVID-19 requires a risk adjustment approach to ensure that many people do not end up getting infected at the same time. This is unfortunately not the concern of the Yaounde government that is already staring down the barrel of an economic disaster.

Mr. Biya’s decision seems to be predicated upon fears that the country’s ailing economy could end up on a ventilator like most Coronavirus victims.

Many health experts have opined that the decision to urge Cameroonians to engage in their most favorite sport – drinking- is not based upon any known science.

Politics, the say, seems to be dictating things and this does not augur well for the elderly and other immune compromised individuals who might be killed by their own family members due to a government decree that cannot stand the test of sound scientific analysis.

A few days ago, Mr. Biya, the 87-year-old president, who has been hiding under his bed at the Unity Palace, signed another decree cancelling Labor Day and May 20 celebrations for fear of the Coronavirus which seems to have a bone to pick with old people, including Mr. Biya himself.

Many analysts are arguing that if it is too dangerous to celebrate May 20, which is the country’s national day, what therefore makes it safe to send millions of Cameroonians to bars and markets at a time when the virus is still illusive and very destructive.

If it is safe to send Cameroonians to bars, how come Cameroonian students are still being told to stay away from school? Students can sit in their classes with their masks, but revelers cannot wear masks while drinking.

Did the government take a look at all these details before sending its citizens to a place that could lead to mass infections?

With the lockdown over, sexual activities that have been on the decline, will now start rising again and the exchange of body fluids during bouts of sex could result in a resurgence of this virus that was still wreaking havoc in Cameroon before the decree to terminate the lockdown was issued.

Cameroon currently has a case count of more than 1,500, with more than 100 deaths. The country has not yet reached its peak, but the absentee and alcohol-inflammed president thinks that it is time to end the lockdown.

While Cameroonians have been celebrating their new found freedom to drink and even share the same bottles and glasses, they must understand that their destiny is in their hands as the government which is already cash-strapped is just seeking to guarantee that the breweries keep on paying taxes that will help sustain the corrupt and irresponsible government.

This is not the time to take our eyes off the ball. The virus is omnipresent and it has a huge appetite for recklessness people, especially those with underlying health issues.

Cameroonians must continue to comply with WHO guidelines to ensure that they do not transform their country into another USA that is currently grappling with huge case counts and large and scary numbers of death.

Cameroon lacks the health facilities and if the virus wants to punish the country for its recklessness, the toll will be unbearable.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

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