The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Cameroon, Central Africa on 6 March with its first confirmed case. The infected person is a French national who arrived in the capital Yaoundé24 February. The second case in the country was announced on 6 March. The case was a Cameroonian citizen who was in close contact with the first case, but officials did not release any further information on the case. Five new cases were confirmed on 18 March. Although further information about the victims was not published, one of the confirmed victims is a foreigner. The Minister of Public Health, Dr. Malachie Manaouda, revealed on 23 March that among the 16 cases tested positive that morning, 9 were from Douala, 6 in Yaoundé, and one in Bafoussam. On 27 March, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Cameroon reached 91 with the break down per areas as: 63 in Yaounde, 25 in Douala and 3 in Bafoussam. The total number of COVID-19 cases keep climbing up in the country. On 30 March, the Minister of Public Health announced that Cameroon had 142 active cases with 6 deaths.
April 2020
On 2 April, the number of COVID-19 cases in Cameroon climbed to 286. On 6 April, the number of confirmed cases rose to 658. On 7 April, 685 cases were confirmed. On 10 April, 730 cases were confirmed. On 25 April, there were 1,513 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the nation. The number of confirmed cases climbed to 1,832 in April. The number of recovered patients increased to 934, with 837 active cases at the end of the month.
May 2020
On 5 May, Cameroon had 2,104 confirmed cases and 64 deaths. There were 4,072 new cases in May, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 5,904. The number of recovered patients increased to 3,568. There were 2,145 active cases at the end of the month.
June 2020
During June there were 6,688 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 12,592. The number of recovered patients increased to 10,100. There were 2,179 active cases at the end of the month.
July 2020
Deaths
March 2020
The first death occurred on 24 March, the deceased was the famous saxophonist Manu Dibango. By the end of March six persons had died from COVID-19.
April 2020
There were 56 deaths in April, bringing the death toll to 61.
May 2020
There were 130 deaths in May, bringing the death toll to 191.
June 2020
There were 122 reported deaths in June, bringing the reported death toll to 313.
On 18 March, Cameroonian Prime MinisterJoseph Dion Ngute closed its land, air and sea borders. On 30 March, the Minister of Health announced the imminent launch of a coronavirus test campaign in the city of Douala. Dedicated teams will go door-to-door in the economic capital from April 2 to 6, says the minister. On 7 April, the Cameroonian government has suspended calls for public generosity in the fight against COVID-19, a move that attracted criticism over political motives. On 10 April, the government took 7 additional measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Cameroon. These measures take effect from Monday, 13 April 2020.
Measure 1: Wearing a mask in all areas open to the public;
Measure 2: Local production of drugs, screening tests, protective masks and hydro-alcoholic gels;
Measure 3: Establishment of specialized COVID-19 treatment centers in all regional capitals;
Measure 4: Intensification of the screening campaign with the collaboration of the Center Pasteur;
Measure 5: Intensification of the awareness campaign in urban and rural areas in both official languages;
Measure 6: Continuation of activities essential to the economy in strict compliance with the directives of March 17, 2020;
Measure 7: Sanction
On April 15, following the claims of the Human Rights Commission of the Cameroon Bar Association, President Paul Biya announced the release of certain prisoners in connection with COVID-19. On Tuesday May 5, the Minister of Health announced the provision to healthcare personnel of 50,000 coveralls, 320,000 surgical masks, 220 backpack sprayers, 10,000 pairs of overshoes. In late June, the government announced that the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations would be postponed until 2022.
