The looming third wave of coronavirus infections and Europe’s struggle to mount a vaccination drive will dominate Thursday’s EU video summit, despite a welcome guest appearance by Joe Biden.

The new US president will address the 27 EU leaders by video link in the evening as Washington and Brussels put on a show of mending ties after the dramatic diplomatic battles of the Donald Trump years.

But his intervention will only be a brief respite from the main matter at hand: How to outpace the resurgent epidemic when drug deliveries came up short and vaccination campaigns started slowly?

Host Charles Michel, the president of the leaders’ European Council, had hoped to hold a substantive face-to-face summit, but was forced to accept a stripped down video conference as EU members reinstated lockdown measures.

The Europeans are angry that UK-based pharma giant AstraZeneca has failed to meet its vaccine delivery promises to the EU while ensuring smoother supplies to former member Britain.

But they are also squabbling among themselves over how to share the vaccines they have received, and not all are happy with the European Commission’s threat to block some vaccine exports.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen’s executive updated its month-old control mechanism on Wednesday, giving the bloc more power to block vaccine shipments to countries like Britain that produce jabs but do not export them.

The leaders will not be asked to vote on the measure, already provisionally applied, at Thursday’s summit, and most would back it if it helps pressure AstraZeneca to boost its deliveries.

But some — like UK neighbour Ireland, and vaccine producers Belgium and the Netherlands — are wary of any move to block exports from operations like Pfizer/BioNTech, which supplies both the EU and UK.

If the pharmaceutical industry’s global supply chains are disrupted, many countries could lose out, as both British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government and von der Leyen’s commission accepted.

‘Win-win situation’

“We are all facing the same pandemic and the third wave makes cooperation between the EU and UK even more important,” they said, in a joint statement released to calm nerves after the EU tightened its rules.

The cross-Channel rivals are in discussions about how “to create a win-win situation and expand vaccine supply for all our citizens” but have yet to come to agreement on how to share AstraZeneca doses.

The firm has delivered the EU only 19 million of the 30 million it had promised in the first quarter — and that pledge was itself a dramatic reduction from the 120 million it contracted for.

With some EU countries more reliant on the cheaper UK-designed vaccine than others, Brussels’ focus has turned to a plant in the Netherlands which the UK had planned to use for its own supplies.

Johnson is holding out, insisting that the UK contract with AstraZeneca must be honoured, but he is worried that Brussels could use the toughened export mechanism to cut Britain off from other EU-made vaccines.

A European diplomat told reporters that the UK and the Commission are negotiating how to better share AstraZeneca doses, and that the EU must not shoulder the shortfall alone.

Another sensitive issue is sharing out the vaccines Europe has received under the Commission’s joint buying strategy.

A group of smaller states, led by Austria, is demanding a revision in the distribution method after they came up short in the first quarter.

There is little sympathy in other capitals for their plight, however, as decisions were made on a joint steering committee where Austria and others failed to make use of opportunities to secure more batches.

Discussions are underway on a compromise, but some countries relied more heavily on AstraZeneca compared to more expensive — but in the end more successful — suppliers.

And, as one diplomat said: “Some countries just decided to buy fewer vaccines, it’s a tactic that can’t be blamed on the EU or other member states.”

Top envoy

Against this backdrop, Biden’s appearance, albeit by video from Washington, may prove a respite. European officials have been delighted with the new US administration’s warmer tone.

On the eve of the summit, Biden’s top diplomat Antony Blinken wrapped up a two-day visit to Brussels after talks with NATO ministers and top EU officials, promising close coordination.

But fearing leaks from a less than secure videoconference, the leaders do not expect to be able to make decisions on many sensitive topics, and talks initially planned for two days will instead end late Thursday.

(AFP)

The pandemic is getting worse in many parts of the two Cameroons, with the numbers of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths on the rise, Cameroon Concord News gathered from a highly placed health official in Yaoundé who sued for anonymity.

The Biya regime medic also pointed out that nothing is being done by the political leadership to help combat the situation.

The Cameroon Covid-19 crisis was raised during an important zoom meeting in the Federal Republic of Germany attended by the much respected member of the German parliament Hon. Christoph Hoffmann.

Last week, the exiled leader of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government Vice President Dabney Yerima said the virus is now in Southern Cameroons.  Yerima added that if the Bishops and leaders of other Christian communities including the Muslim Imams fail to act fast, they will be blessing coffins every five minutes.

The war in Southern Cameroons has prevented aid groups from implementing systematic testing, and the so-called regional and divisional hospitals continue to test only the most seriously ill.

Both La Republique du Cameroun and Southern Cameroons are now not only reporting increases in the number of cases but also an increase in the number of deaths.

The situation is concerning noted our source in Yaoundé.

By Rita Akana in Yaounde

With the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cameroon, health workers at the Specialised treatment centre in Yaoundé have pointed out the increase in the number of patients received on a daily basis.

Just three weeks ago, activities and traffic around the centre were not dense and traffic in front of the centre situated around the Mvog Mbi neighbourhood was fluid.

Fast forward to last Saturday and the place looks “silently” busy as patients are ferried into the centre from ambulances much to the helpless looks from family members who watch at a distance across the road.

“My brother has been admitted into this centre and we are waiting for news from the doctors since morning. We hope he can be better,” said Jacqueline Emana, who was almost in tears as she scouts for the least positive news of her brother who has already spent days at the centre.

Not far from her, another family all dressed in black looks helplessly in the direction of the centre. They are trying to negotiate the burial of their loved one who passed away but have been told burial will only take place in strict respect of prescribed measures. A couple of coffins are also lying around the corner, probably for other family members who had come for the mortal remains of their relatives.

The gloomy nature outside the centre almost paints the intense work that’s being done inside by health workers and how overwhelmed they have become.

According to information gathered on site, over thirty patients are admitted at the centre on a daily basis as the centre is becoming overwhelmed with patients.

In the centre, over two dozens of patients are on respiratory assistance while the bed occupancy rate has increased as can be seen in the various wards where just few beds are left. In a ward that is set to take up to 60 patients, just close to half a dozen beds are free.

This increase in the number of patients equally warrants a boost in the number of health workers as the Minister of Public Health has deployed additional workers to the centre, according to Dr Arouna Nchare, health worker on site.

If there were any doubts on the resurgence of the COVID-19, the mood and atmosphere around the Specialised Centre for the Fight against COVID-19 at the Mvog Mbi neighbourhood, casts all those doubts calls for the continuous respect of barrier measures.

Source: Journal du Cameroon

Cameroon has approved Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine for use against COVID-19, Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund said on Friday.

The Russian vaccine has now been approved in 53 countries, RDIF, which is promoting the shot globally, said.

Source: Reuters

Cameroon’s health ministry has suspended administration of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine it was scheduled to receive on March 20 as part of the global vaccines sharing scheme COVAX.

The ministry said in a statement that March 18 that the suspension was for precaution and prudence. It gave no further reasons for the decision or if it will go ahead and take delivery of its share of the vaccine.

Several countries have resumed use of shots on Friday after the European Union and British regulators said the benefits outweighed any risks after reports of rare instances of blood clotting that temporarily halted inoculations.

Source: USnews

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Southern Cameroons abandoned by the international community is now increasing at an alarming proportion particularly in Bamenda the chief city in the Northern Zone that continues to host massive religious events.

Ever since the open air mass celebrated by the visiting Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin in Bamenda and the commissioning of Bishop Bibi as the head of the Buea Diocese, several  infections have been confirmed, according to Cameroon Concord News count, compiled from figures provided by national health agencies run by the Biya regime in Yaoundé.

Many people including some Roman Catholic clergy have lost their lives to Covid-19 recently in Southern Cameroons.

Cameroon Concord News understands that the vast majority of people infected with the virus recover, but some patients are now suffering from symptoms for weeks or even months.

The senior religious leaders reportedly claimed that Covid-19 has been defeated but it now appears that the war, unemployment and the preference of prayers instead of masks has prompted a soaring in cases to such an extent that even the church, schools and other public institutions are contemplating to openly issue warnings about the spread of the virus.

Unconfirmed reports say the Biya Francophone regime in Yaoundé secretly placed a ban on the publication of coronavirus virus figures. Our correspondent in Bamenda who contributed to this report hinted that two revered fathers including the Vicar for clergy in the Bamenda Archdiocese, Rev Fr. Patrick Nyuydini Lafon have died but the Church has refused to admit that they had the coronavirus.

Under mounting pressure from Cameroon Concord News, the exiled leader of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government Vice President Dabney Yerima said the virus is now in Southern Cameroons.  Yerima added that if the Bishops and leaders of other Christian communities including the Muslim Imams fail to act fast, they will be blessing coffins every five minutes in Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia.

The war in Southern Cameroons has prevented aid groups from implementing systematic testing, and the so-called regional and divisional hospitals continue to test only the most seriously ill.

By Fon Lawrence in Bamenda

Authorities in Cameroon say the coronavirus pandemic has led to a spike in excessive drinking – and in deaths from fake alcohol.  Consumer groups protested on Monday, saying authorities need to do more to crack down on both counterfeit alcohol and medicine.

Hundreds of people came out on Monday to watch the seizure of what authorities allege are “fake whiskies” from Elig-Edzoa market in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde.

Officials of Cameroon’s ministry of trade, customs and the police were cracking down on fake alcohol to mark World Consumer Rights Day.

Pauline Biloua is member of the Cameroon National Consumers Council, the government’s consumer protection body. She said thousands of fake alcoholic drinks have been seized from at least 200 shops and 350 bars across Cameroon within the past month.

She said since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Cameroon in March 2020, many people have lost their jobs and are now extremely poor. Consumers who can no longer afford to buy good quality whiskies now purchase fake locally brewed alcoholic drinks which are dangerous to health, she said. Many people have developed liver problems and died from consuming fake whiskies, she added.

Meanwhile, several dozen people took part in a protest Tuesday against the sale of fake and counterfeit goods.

Delor Magellan Kamseu Kamgain is president of Cameroon’s National Consumers League. He said he organized the protest because the government is still not doing enough to protect consumers.

He said poverty caused by the coronavirus is pushing most Cameroonians to go out for cheap products. Kamgain said unfortunately for consumers, the government has allowed fake and counterfeit products including medicines and whiskies that are highly consumed in Cameroon to be sold publicly. He said all that a consumer organization like his can do is to educate and sensitize people on the risks civilians are exposed to when they consume goods of doubtful origin.

Cameroon’s Medical Council says about three-fourths of the 7,500 deaths from liver problems in Cameroon in 2020 were due to the consumption of fake alcohol.

The police said some products are made from pure ethanol or with alcohol bought or stolen from pharmacies and hospitals.

Fake drugs are another problem. The government said about 380 people died of fake drugs in Cameroon in 2020, up from 223 in 2019.

The government said the true numbers are probably higher because fewer than 30 percent of civilians visit hospitals. Some buy roadside drugs and others prefer African traditional medicine.

Trade minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana said he has ordered a crackdown on all the fake drugs and alcohol.

He said he has ordered investigations on the origin of all fake drugs and whiskies circulating in Cameroon. He said he has asked the police to immediately seize all fake goods in the market. He said customs officers have been asked to protect the border so that fake goods should not be smuggled into Cameroon.

Atangana said Cameroonians should report people suspected of producing or selling fake goods to the nearest police station.

Source: VOA

The Yaounde Central Hospital, one of the largest designated hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in Cameroon, received a batch of medical equipment donated by China to fight against the novel coronavirus.

The equipment includes ventilators, oxygenerators, electrocardiographs, among others.

“This donation comes at the right time. We are all together in the fight against COVID-19, a difficult fight for the health personnel. (…) We can only thank the Chinese government,” said Hassan Ben Bachir, head of the cooperation division of the Ministry of Public Health, who represented the Cameroonian authority to receive the Chinese donation.

This donation is offered as part of the cooperation mechanism between Chinese and African hospitals, an initiative proposed by China to help Africa in the field of health. A partnership has been forged between the Yaounde Central Hospital and the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University in China.

“This is the start of a collaboration which will be growing”, said Pierre Joseph Fouda, director of the Yaounde Central Hospital, “it is a great emotion and a feeling of joy to receive this donation.We will use it wisely.”

Source: Xinhuanet

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 29.34 million on Friday, with the national death toll reaching 532,384, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

Nearly 4,000 infection cases of coronavirus variants have been reported in the United States as of Thursday, according to the latest data of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The number of variants reported will likely increase as more specimens are sequenced and if the frequency of variants increases, according to the CDC.

Experts are concerned about some worrisome variants that are in places like California and New York.

Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said in an interview Friday that he is “not surprised” that the COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading in the United States and the new variants of coronavirus is the biggest challenge for the country.

Studies are underway to determine whether variants are more transmissible, cause more severe illness, or are likely to evade immunity brought on by prior illness or vaccination.

A new poll from the Associated Press and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago showed that the African and Hispanic Americans are more likely to be affected by the pandemic.

About 1,500 adults were surveyed from Feb 25 to March 1. According to the results, African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to suffer income losses compared with the white Americans.

The data showed that 62 percent of Hispanic Americans and 54 percent of African Americans have lost some form of household income during the yearlong pandemic, including jobs, pay cuts, cuts in hours and unpaid leave, while the proportion for white Americans is only 45 percent.

The poll also found that 38 percent of Hispanic Americans and 29 percent of African Americans said someone in their household was laid off during the pandemic, but only 21 percent of white Americans said the same.

In addition, the results also showed that compared with white Americans, African Americans and Hispanics were more likely to have loved ones who died from the novel coronavirus, and they were less likely to receive the vaccine.

In addition, the rate of COVID-19 deaths among African Americans and Hispanics in the United States does not match their population, according to the latest data from the CDC.

(Source: Reuters)