Health experts from the Organ that Coordinates the fight against endemic diseases in the Central African Sub Region, known in its French acronym as L’OCEAC, met in Yaounde on January 19, to adopt an effective plan to eradicate the global health pandemic within the sub region.
According to figures from L’OCEAC, 900 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the CEMAC subregion the first week of 2021. By January 19, over 56,000 cases, among them 2600 active cases, and 880 deaths had been recorded in the region. The case fatality rate in the Sub Region is 2%.
Cameroon’s Public Health Minister, Dr. Manaouda Malachie, also took part in the meeting, held by video conferencing. He told the experts to improve communication on preventive measures, especially in the hinterlands.
The health experts say the new strain of the virus which was first reported in the UK and has now spread to the US and other countries, could possibly spread to countries of the CEMAC Sub Regions.
Dr. Parfait Awono, Chief of service of Research at OCEAC said collective efforts of all member states will be required to keep the sub region completely free from the deadly virus.
Over 1 year after the COVID-19 outbreak was reported in Wuhan city in China, and other continents of the world, more people continue to be infected, alongside countless deaths .
As a result of the economic crisis brought to bear on countries by the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have resorted to vaccines as a effective solution.
During the conference, the CEMAC experts also reflected on the necessity of a vaccine to prevent the spread of the virus in the sub region.
Kathy Neba Sina
