The country’s coronavirus cases officially stand at 91. The situation is concerning as things are spiraling out of control. The government has taken a few good measures, but they are unfortunately ineffective.

The government wants to recruit over 500 health workers to combat the Coronavirus which is spreading at an alarming rate.

Cameroonians are still converging on public places and public transport means cannot really be controlled.

The nature of the country’s economy is also an additional headache. The informal sector is bigger than the formal sector and this implies more people hustle to make ends meet.

They are therefore flouting government Coronavirus rules, as they live from hand to mouth.

Meanwhile, the country’s opposition leader, Prof. Maurice Kamto, is challenging the country’s president, Paul Biya, to address the nation as COVID-19 threatens to ruin the economy and send thousands to an early grave.

Early this week, it was rumored that the country’s president had died since he had not been seen in public ever since the Coronavirus showed up on the country’s shores.

The country’s communications minister, Rene Sadi, held a press conference on Friday wherein he informed the public that the president was alive and healthy.

He added that Mr. Biya was closely monitoring the evolution of the virus in the country, but critics still feel that the government is hiding something and many are calling on Mr. Biya to address the nation.

Also, business will resume tomorrow in the Douala II markets after a shutdown on Friday due to a massive disinfection by City Hall.

Similarly,   a medical team has been dispatched from Yaoundé to screen over 200 passengers in Douala. This is to help check the spread of the insidious virus.

Also, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the government of Cameroon to decongest prisons as a move to check the spread of the virus.

Cameroon’s prisons are noted for their congestion and it is feared that if the virus makes its way to the prisons, the prison population will be rapidly decimated as Cameroon has not got the resources to deal with such a disaster.

By Rita Akana with additional reporting and editing from Dr Joachim Arrey

Mainland China reported its first locally transmitted coronavirus case in three days and 54 new imported cases, as Beijing ordered airlines to sharply cut international flights fearing travellers could reignite the coronavirus outbreak.

The 55 new cases reported on Thursday was down from 67 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said in a statement on Friday. There are now 81,340 confirmed cases in mainland China.

The death toll stands at 3,292 with five new deaths.

Imported coronavirus cases, mostly Chinese nationals returning home, now pose the biggest concern for authorities.

Shanghai reported the most new imported cases with 17, followed by 12 in Guangdong and four each in capital Beijing and nearby Tianjin.

Hubei province, a region of some 60 million people where the virus first appeared late last year, reported zero new cases on Thursday – a day after lifting a lockdown and reopening its borders as the epidemic there eased.

China on Thursday ordered local airlines to maintain only one route to any country and limit flights per such routes to one per week, effective March 29. Foreign airlines have also been ordered to cut routes to China to one and limit flights to one per week, although many had already stopped flying to China.

China will temporarily suspend the entry of foreigners with valid Chinese visas and residence permits starting on March 28, as an interim measure, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

(REUTERS)

Singaporeans could be jailed for up to six months if they intentionally stand close to someone else, under tough new rules announced Friday to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

The city-state has introduced a series of new measures to tackle the virus, including closing bars and cinemas as well as banning large events.

One step aimed at ensuring “social-distancing” — a key approach being used worldwide to halt the spread of the contagious disease — is a ban on individuals standing less than one metre (three feet) apart in certain settings.

People are barred from intentionally standing too close to someone else in a queue, or sitting on a seat less than one metre from another individual in a public place, according to the regulations.

Those found guilty of breaking the rules face a jail term of up to six months and a maximum fine of Sg$10,000 (US$7,000).

Business owners are also required to take steps such as putting seats not fixed to the ground at least one metre apart, and making sure that people keep their distance when queueing.

They face the same punishments if found to have broken the rules.

Singapore, known for having a low crime rate and a tough approach to law and order, introduced stricter curbs after a spike in infections being brought in from overseas.

The health ministry said earlier this week that “we must implement tighter safe distancing measures now to minimise activities and exposure”.

The city-state has reported 683 virus infections and two deaths, but has won praise for its approach and has so far avoided going into a total lockdown.

The rapidly spreading pandemic has infected over half a million people worldwide and killed more than 23,000.

Source: AFP

France on Tuesday reported a daily coronavirus death toll rise of 240, taking the total number of fatalities from the outbreak to 1,100, according to health officials. The increase makes France the fifth country to cross the 1,000 death toll mark since the epidemic originated in China late last year.

France now has 22,300 confirmed coronavirus cases, including an increase of 2,444 in the past 24 hours, said the country’s Director General of Health, Jerome Salomon, at a press briefing Tuesday.

Across the country, 10,176 people were hospitalised for coronavirus, including 2,516 in a serious condition, said Salomon.

Tuesday’s death toll rise made France the fifth country to exceed a grim 1,000 fatalities milestone after Italy, China, Spain and Iran.

The spike in coronavirus cases and deaths came after the country’s scientific council, which advises French President Emmanuel Macron on the coronavirus crisis, said a lockdown to contain the epidemic should last a total of six weeks since it was put in place.

France has been under a strict lockdown since March 17, when Macron announced restrictive measures, including fines for people violating the rules. The lockdown was initially expected to last 15 days.

In its statement, France’s scientific council said the lockdown was at present the only really efficient strategy.

The council also said it was “necessary to strengthen” the containment measures without providing details.

Responding to the council’s lockdown recommendations, French Health Minister Olivier Véran said it was not possible to put a clear time frame just yet. “The members of the scientific council aren’t able to say with precision if the confinement should be for such a set duration. They said, may be we need to prepare for the confinement to last longer. Beyond 15 days we know, but perhaps it could extend past that – another five or six weeks,” he said. “It will only end when the epidemic curve allows it, this is the basic principle. Confinement has a purpose, to protect the French people. It will last as long as it has to last.”

‘Only truly operational strategy’

Noting that three weeks were needed to obtain an initial estimate of the impact of the lockdown, the council said, “Containment is currently the only truly operational strategy, as the alternative policy of large-scale screenings and isolation of those detected is not currently feasible on a national scale.”

A decision to end the lockdown “could be taken on the basis of epidemiological indicators. in particular the saturation of hospital services and especially of intensive care units”. The government will also have to ensure that the elements of a post-confinement strategy are operational, the council added.

‘Full transparency’ on medical equipment

Members of the council also issued an “alert” on “the real or perceived shortage of various types of equipment, starting with essential health protection equipment”.

They recommended that the government “should provide full transparency and clarity” to answer questions from hospitals and health care providers about existing stocks and how services will be supplied.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)

Cameroon on Tuesday confirmed the first death in the country due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) as more new cases of the pandemic were also reported.

The Minister for Public Health Manaouda Malachie said the victim is a Cameroonian who returned from Italy on March 7 “already very affected by the disease”.

There were no further details, including name, age and sex of the patient.

CONFIRMED CASES

The government said there were 66 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 pandemic in the central African country by Tuesday, an increase from 56 the previous day.

Source: Daily Nation

Officials in Cameroon are calling on citizens to stop attacks on foreigners and visitors from the diaspora who are being blamed for an increase in coronavirus cases.  The attacks began after some passengers on an Air France flight that landed in Cameroon last week ignored a quarantine order.  

Forty-three-year-old businessman Ferdinand Muffo Che says he has been victim of regular attacks and harassment since he returned to Yaounde from Milan, Italy through France on March 17.  

He says residents of Ekounou, the neighborhood where he lives, accuse him of being a healthy carrier infecting people with COVID-19. 

“I do not see why my own country where I was born will reject me because I have been out. The coronavirus is a problem that concerns the whole world,” he said.

Che is one of 198 passengers of an Air France flight that landed at the Douala International airport on March 17. The government ordered all of its passengers to be isolated in hotels for at least 15 days.  

Instead, many of them escaped to their homes, provoking the anger of some Cameroonians. 

On the streets of Yaounde, attacks and insults on people identified as foreigners, especially whites and Chinese, have increased sharply in the last week.  

The U.S. Embassy in Yaounde has reported a rise in verbal and online harassments, stone throwing and banging of vehicles occupied by expatriates. 

Spreading misinformation

Ebenezer Mukete, 29, says he is among those who joined the attacks.  

He alleges that COVID-19 was created by either the U.S. or China for commercial purposes and unfortunately, developed into a health crisis.  There is no scientific evidence to support his allegation. 

“They create the so called pandemic, and they come and inflict{spread} in Africa,” he said. “When you listen to the French president, he says France is at war, American president comes out and says America is at war. Let them fight their war not in Africa. The minister of public health is telling us that the cases are from abroad. Whites coming to transmit it to Cameroonians, so let them go away. We do not have any other choice than to attack them.” 

Cameroon health minister Manaouda Malachie has called on the population to stop the attacks.  

He adds that everyone should respect measures put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

He says people who came in from Europe, China and America before Cameroon closed its borders should not be stigmatized, but that they as well as any other Cameroonian who has cold, severe respiratory syndrome, runny nose, cough, sore throat and tiredness, should contact the nearest hospital. He says those who are running from isolation should know that they may be putting the lives of their families and communities in danger and that they will be treated free of charge if tested positive. 

Confirmed cases

Cameroon confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on February 6.  On Monday, officials said the number of confirmed cases had increased to 40, with a majority of them imported. Seven are Cameroonians infected by their relatives who came from Europe. 

In an effort to stop the spread of the virus, Cameroon last week closed all its borders and suspended issuance of visas into the country until further notice. 

Source: VOA

China has registered 78 new cases of coronavirus infection, most of them imported from abroad, sparking concerns about a second wave of infections in the country.

The Chinese National Health Commission said on Tuesday that of the 78 individuals, 74 had arrived from overseas, the highest since the beginning of March, when officials began reporting imported cases, and almost double the figure for Monday.

The commission said only one of the four local transmissions had taken place in Wuhan, where the new deadly virus first emerged late last year and afflicted the most people. The infection on Monday was the first new case in the city in nearly a week.

Also on Monday, seven more people died, all of them in Wuhan, the commission added.

China is believed to have brought the country’s coronavirus outbreak under control, but there is now growing anxiety about an influx of new infections coming in from nations grappling with the beginning of their own epidemics.

More than 381,000 people worldwide have been infected and over 16,500 have died of the viral disease, according to a running tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

China has so far recorded over 81,000 infections, and 3,277 deaths.

Chinese state media warned of a second wave of infections on Tuesday.

“Inadequate quarantine measures” mean a second wave of infections is “highly likely, even inevitable,” the Global Times daily warned on its front page.

South Korea records 76 new cases

In South Korea, which has the second highest number of infections in Asia after China, 76 new coronavirus cases were reported on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 9,037.

The death toll from the coronavirus epidemic in South Korea also increased to 120 after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported that two more people had died of the disease.

Despite a declining trend, Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho said that authorities “cannot assess the occurrence of a pandemic or an explosion of cases through the number of confirmed patients for one day,” nor can they be optimistic about the outbreak coming to an end.

A peak of 909 new infections had been recorded in South Korea on February 29.

In Italy, ‘light at the end of the tunnel’

Meanwhile, Italy, which turned into the new epicenter of the pandemic last week, reported 601 new deaths and 4,789 new infections on Monday, marking a second successive drop in daily tallies.

The top medical officer for Milan’s devastated Lombardy region appeared on television smiling for the first time in many weeks.

“We cannot declare victory just yet,” Giulio Gallera said. “But there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Italy’s National Health Institute (ISS) chief Silvio Brusaferro was more guarded.

“These are positive numbers but I do not have the courage to firmly state that there is a downward trend,” Brusaferro told reporters.

The Italian government has imposed a lockdown nationwide to contain the virus, which has killed more than 6,000 people in the country in a month.

In Spain, elderly people found dead, abandoned in retirement homes

Meanwhile, soldiers deployed to help fight the new coronavirus outbreak in Spain — Europe’s second hardest-hit country — found elderly patients abandoned and sometimes dead in retirement homes.

The military has been charged with helping disinfect retirement homes in Spain, where dozens of coronavirus deaths have been recorded.

“The army, during certain visits, found some old people completely abandoned, sometimes even dead in their beds,” Defense Minister Margarita Robles said in an interview with private television channel Telecinco.

The general prosecutor announced that an investigation had been launched into the matter.

Spain’s Health Ministry said on Monday that the death toll had reached 2,182, following the deaths of 462 people within 24 hours.

Amid the surge in fatalities, a spokeswoman for Madrid city hall told AFP that an ice rink at the Palacio de Hielo (Ice Palace) shopping center in the city had been turned into a temporary morgue.

Germany reports 4,764 new cases

Germany reported 4,764 new infections on Monday, bringing the tally in the country to 27,436.

The Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases also said on Tuesday that the death toll from the outbreak had surged by 28 to 114 the day before.

Source: Presstv

The US surgeon general issued his starkest warning to date on Monday about the health risk posed by the coronavirus outbreak, warning Americans that the crisis was “going to get bad” this week.

The country’s top public health official, Surgeon General Jerome Adams, sounded the alarm as nearly one-third of Americans awoke to “stay at home orders.”

As of Sunday night, states with a population totaling more than 100 million people have imposed restrictions to curtail the virus, which has infected nearly 35,000 people and killed 428 in the United States, putting the country on a track similar to those of devastated European countries such as Italy and Spain.

“This week it’s going to get bad,”  Adams told NBC’s “Today” show, saying there were more people out to see Washington’s famed annual cherry blossoms than there were blossoms. “This is how the spread is occurring. Everyone needs to be taking the right steps right now: stay home.”

Trump imposed a 15-day national action plan a week ago urging Americans to follow the direction of the “stay at home” orders of state and local officials.

At the same time, he has also been far more optimistic than health experts have been about the prognosis for the outbreak while also voicing concern about the negative effect of shutting down wide swathes of the economy.     

“We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself,” Trump tweeted in all capital letters overnight. “At the end of the 15-day period, we will make a decision as to which way we want to go.”

Also on Monday, the US Federal Reserve mounted an extraordinary new array of programs to offset the disruptions to the economy caused by the outbreak, backstopping an unprecedented range of credit for households, small businesses and major employers.

Congress meets

Congress was trying to address concerns over the economy, which is forecast to shrink as a result of emergency measures. US Senate Democrats and Republicans were working on an economic relief bill, aware that failure to strike a deal could trigger further heavy losses in US stock markets.

The Senate was due to reconvene at noon ET (1600 GMT) to consider the bill, which Democrats argue favors corporate interests at the expense of healthcare workers, hospitals and state and local governments. Republicans in turn accused them of obstructing a badly needed stimulus in the midst of a national emergency.

Independent experts have suggested far more than 15 days will be needed to halt the spread.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Monday called on the federal government to do more to provide personal protective equipment, noting that all states “are all out looking for the same thing” in competition with each other. ”We need a lot more,” Murphy told CNN. “Anything they could do is going to make a huge difference.” Murphy reiterated his call for the federal government to collectively provide $100 billion in direct cash assistance to New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Trump on Sunday defended his decision to hold off using his powers under the Defense Protection Act to ramp up supplies, telling reporters at a news conference that nationalizing businesses “is not a good concept.”

Murphy noted that on one day last week 15,000 New Jersey residents applied for unemployment benefits, crashing the state’s computer systems. ”We need the feds to come in a big way to help us,” Murphy said. “Folks are hurting.”

The first of two US military hospital ships was dispatched on Monday to boost hospital bed capacity as the number of US coronavirus cases swells.    

The US Naval Ship Mercy departed San Diego with nearly 900 staff on board to take on non-coronavirus patients and allow local personnel to manage those on shore with the virus, the Pentagon said in statement. Trump on Sunday said the Mercy would be dispatched to Los Angeles while the USNS Comfort would go to New York.

(Source: Reuters)

Cases of infection with the new coronavirus continue to surge throughout the world, and restrictions put in place by governments to contain the pandemic have confined one billion people to their homes in different countries.

The following are the latest on the coronavirus epidemic around the globe.

As many as 300,000 infections have been confirmed across the globe while the number of worldwide fatalities has exceeded 13,000.

Italy, the world’s hardest hit country, recorded a jump in its death tally from the viral infection on Saturday. Fatalities jumped by 793 to 4,825 in the largest one-day rise since the contagion emerged in Italy a month ago.

Confirmed cases of infection also rose to 53,578 from 47,021, the Civil Protection Agency said Sunday.

Cuban doctors, nurses rush to help fight virus in Italy

Italy requested Cuba to send a brigade of doctors and nurses to its worst-hit northern region of Lombardy, which, according to health officials, remains in a critical condition with 3,095 deaths and 25,515 cases.

Cuba sent a team of 36 doctors, 15 nurses, and a logistic expert to the country on Saturday night.

Cuba has already sent “armies of white robes” in recent days to combat the spread of the virus to several countries, including Venezuela, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Suriname, and Grenada.

But this was the first time Cuba was sending an emergency contingent to a European country.

Cuban doctors were in the front lines in the fight against cholera in Haiti and against the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in the 2010s.

The country has 8.2 doctors for every 1,000 people, one of the highest rates in world, according to the World Bank.

Russia sending military medics to Italy

The Russian army is also sending medical help to Italy on Sunday, after receiving an order from President Vladimir Putin, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The ministry said military transport planes would deliver eight mobile brigades of military medics, special disinfection vehicles, and other medical equipment to Italy.

Putin offered his support and help to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte during a phone call on Saturday, the Kremlin said.

Russia itself has reported one death and 306 infections, most of them in Moscow.

Spain: Worst yet to come

The coronavirus death toll in Spain, meanwhile, reached 1,326 on Saturday, from 1,002 the day before, and the number of infected people rose to 24,926, from 19,980.

The Spanish government, however, warned that “the worst is yet to come,” but promised to do whatever was needed to combat the epidemic.

A total of 5,000 people have so far died of the infection across Europe, with Italy, Spain, and Germany reporting steep rises in both infections and deaths.

UK predicts jump in numbers

In the United Kingdom, a total of 5,018 have been infected with the virus, while 233 patients have succumbed to the disease.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that Britain’s National Health Service could be “overwhelmed” by the virus like Italy’s health system in just two weeks.

“The numbers are very stark, and they are accelerating. We are only a matter of weeks – two or three – behind Italy,” he said.

Increase in US cases as widespread shutdowns enforced

In America, 26,900 people have tested positive and 348 people have died of the novel coronavirus.

Almost 1 in 4 Americans were obliged to close up shop and stay at home on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Republican and Democratic leaders are still working on reaching a deal to pump over $1 trillion into the economy on top of the hundreds of billions of dollars in fiscal and monetary stimulus that have already been used to support the world’s largest economy.

China sees rise in imported cases

China, where the virus first emerged in December last year, said the imported cases of the disease continued to rise.

The National Health Commission reported 46 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday.

China has drastically reduced the number of locally transmitted cases. After four consecutive days of zero such cases, health officials reported the first local transmission on Saturday.

The latest figures bring mainland China’s total cases to 81,054, with 3,261 deaths, including six on Saturday.

The central province of Hubei, where the outbreak first emerged, reported its fourth straight day of no new cases.

North Korea says Trump offered help

North Korea said on Saturday that the US had offered cooperation in the country’s fight against the pandemic.

US President Trump “expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work, saying that he was impressed by the efforts made by the Chairman to defend his people from the serious threat of the epidemic,” the North’s official news agency, KCNA, said, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

It did not say when the letter had been received.

A senior US administration official confirmed Trump had sent a letter to Kim and offered help. The official said Trump looked forward to continuing communications with the North Korean leader.

Pyongyang, which has not reported any cases of the infection, welcomed the offer, saying it was a sign of “the special and very firm personal relations” between Kim and Trump, according to KCNA.

Trump has attempted to build a relationship with Kim but has refused to lift any sanctions on North Korea. Negotiations between the two countries on demilitarization have snagged.

Two dead in Sri Lanka jail clash over coronavirus restrictions

Two prisoners in Sri Lanka’s Anuradhapura prison were killed and six others injured after fighting broke out over restrictions to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus to the facility on Saturday.

Clashes erupted between prison guards and prisoners when the inmates began to complain about a ban on visitors. Some inmates attempted to escape amid the clashes.

Police said on Sunday that the guards had opened fire to prevent the prisoners from fleeing.

Sri Lanka imposed a three-day countrywide curfew on Friday. The number of infections in the country stands at 77. Sri Lanka’s prisons are overcrowded, sometimes reportedly housing 5,000 inmates in a facility capable of holding only 800.

India launches 24-hour curfew

The fast-spreading coronavirus prompted India to launch a 14-hour curfew on Sunday, in a crucial test of its abilities to fight the pandemic.

India has reported 315 infections so far.

Malaysia traces worshipers, deploys army to enforce ban on movements

Malaysia says authorities are tracing thousands of worshipers who attended a four-day mass religious event at a mosque near the capital, Kuala Lumpur, at the end of last month.

The government said the religious event was connected to 60 percent of all the 1,183 cases in the country.

Officials said on Thursday that they had yet to trace 4,000 of the 14,500 Malaysian residents who attended the mosque.

The government has also enforced a two-week ban on travel and movements, starting on Wednesday. It said army force would be deployed to help police enforce the ban.

Malaysia has the highest number of infections in Southeast Asia, which has a total of more than 3,000 cases.

Indonesia reports more deaths

The Indonesian Health Ministry on Sunday updated the new number of coronavirus infections and deaths in the country to 64 and 10 respectively, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 514 and the fatality count to 48.

Death toll exceeds 1,680 in Iran

Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on Sunday that 1,028 new coronavirus cases had been diagnosed within the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infected individuals to 21,638.

“With 129 new deaths in the past 24 hours, the death toll from the virus has reached 1,685,” he said.

Jahanpour further put the number of patients who have recovered from the viral disease at 7,913.

Jordan deploys troops, armored vehicles amid curfew

In the Middle East, Jordan started a nationwide curfew “until further notice” on Saturday, warning its 10 million citizens to stay indoors.

“Anyone going outside will be subjecting themselves to punishment,” Justice Minister Bassam Talhouni told Jordan’s al-Mamlaka news channel.

Thousands of soldiers and armored vehicles have been deployed inside cities and on main highways across the country, according to witnesses.

Jordan has closed land and sea border crossings with Syria, Iraq, and Egypt, and suspended all incoming and outgoing flights since Tuesday.

Coronavirus cases in Jordan have risen to 99, including 15 new cases identified on Saturday.

Kuwait orders partial curfew

Meanwhile, Kuwait has ordered a partial curfew starting Sunday evening till early Monday morning.

The decision was made due to “some manifestations of non-compliance with precautionary measures,” Deputy Prime Minister Anas al-Saleh said.

Those who violate the curfew could face up to three years in jail or fines of up to 32,157 dollars.

The Kuwait National Guard will aid police in imposing the curfew.

The Persian Gulf country has reported 176 cases of infection.

Kuwait has taken some of the most drastic steps in the region, including the closure of schools and universities until August.

Coronavirus spreading in Africa

The coronavirus continues to spread across Africa, with more than 1,000 confirmed cases across the continent so far, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Eritrea and Uganda reported their first cases on Sunday, while Mauritius confirmed its first death, with 14 cases of infection so far.

South Africa, which has the most cases in sub-Saharan Africa, reported a total of 240 infections on Saturday.

Health experts have been concerned that Africa will not be able to handle a surge in cases due to the lack of medical facilities.

Source: Presstv

Africa’s cases of the coronavirus rose above 1,000 on Saturday while two heads of state appeared to defy their own travel restrictions to attend another president’s inauguration.

Angola announced its first cases, meaning at least 40 of Africa’s 54 countries are now affected. Congo reported its first death; Burkina Faso reported two new ones. Somalia said it was lifting its ban on international flights for two days so stranded citizens could come home. And Ethiopia’s electoral authorities discussed the virus’ effect on a major national election later this year.

Angola closed its air, land and sea borders this week, but Namibian media showed Angola’s President Joao Lourenco at the inauguration of Namibian President Hage Geingob. Also in attendance was President Mokgweetsi Masisi of neighboring Botswana, which this week suspended international travel by all government employees.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa also was there. He announced a national disaster even before his country confirmed its first virus case on Friday. On Saturday, his country announced the first case in the capital, Harare.

Burkina Faso now has the most virus deaths of any country in sub-Saharan Africa. The West African nation has one of the highest caseloads on the continent with 64.

Several government ministers in Burkina Faso have tested positive, including the minister of foreign affairs. On Friday, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore announced the country’s two international airports would close for two weeks with the exception of military and cargo.

Burkina Faso is one of Africa’s most fragile states with a growing humanitarian crisis caused by attacks linked to Islamic extremists. More than 130 health centers have closed, affecting more than 1.5 million people, the government and aid groups say.

Insufficient screenings

According to a government response plan seen by The Associated Press, emergency teams aren’t trained for a respiratory disease outbreak and don’t have appropriate protective gear.

There’s also insufficient screening at borders. None of Burkina Faso’s 44 high-flow entry points have the needed personal protective equipment, and only 23% have coronavirus screening devices.

Jerry-Jonas Mbasha, cluster coordinator for the World Health Organization in Burkina Faso, said he was “much worried about what might happen in the next one week, two weeks from now.”

Most people only experience minor flu-like symptoms from the coronavirus and recover within a few weeks, but the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those who appear well. It can cause severe illness, including pneumonia, in some patients, particularly those with underlying health problems.

More than 275,000 cases have been confirmed globally, including over 11,000 deaths, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. At least 88,000 people have recovered.

In Nigeria, which just three weeks ago announced the first coronavirus case in sub-Saharan Africa, authorities said that first patient, a man who had traveled from Italy, was now fit to go home. Meanwhile, Africa’s most populous country said it now had cases in the capital, Abuja.

In Kenya, health officials continued to disinfect crowded markets in the capital, Nairobi, trying to stop the virus’ spread.

“It’s for the sake of us, it’s for the sake of the country,” said Simon Kimani, public health council chairman.

Source: AP