Doctors and health experts urged people not to drink or inject disinfectant on Friday after US President Donald Trump suggested scientists should investigate inserting the cleaning agent into the body as a way to cure COVID-19.

“(This is an) absolutely dangerous crazy suggestion,” said Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at Britain’s University of East Anglia.

“You may not die of COVID-19 after injecting disinfectant, but only because you may already be dead from the injection.”

Trump said at his daily media briefing on Thursday that scientists should explore whether inserting light or disinfectant into the bodies of people infected with the new coronavirus might help them clear the disease.

“Is there a way we can do something like that by injection, inside, or almost a cleaning?” he said. “It would be interesting to check that.”

Parastou Donyai, director of pharmacy practice and a professor of social and cognitive pharmacy at the University of Reading, said Trump’s comments were shocking and unscientific.

She said people worried about the new coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease it causes should seek help from a qualified doctor or pharmacist, and “not take unfounded and off-the-cuff comments as actual advice”.

Robert Reich, a professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and a former US labor secretary, added on Twitter, “Trump’s briefings are actively endangering the public’s health. Please don’t drink disinfectant.”

Reading’s Donyai said previous comments by Trump had already been linked to people self-administering medicines or other products in ways that make them poisonous.

“We have already seen people mistakenly poisoning themselves by taking chloroquine when their hopes were raised by unscientific comments,” She said.

Reckitt Benckiser, which manufactures household disinfectants Dettol and Lysol, issued a statement on Friday warning people not to ingest or inject its products.

(Source: Reuters)

Eric Wule has a problem. He lives in Kumba, a city in southwest Cameroon, and this week his government has told him — together with all other 25-million citizens — that it is illegal to appear in public without a face mask. This is part of the government’s measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. As of April 18, Cameroon had recorded 1 017 cases of the disease, including 22 deaths.

But surgical masks are in short supply, and Wule is struggling to find one. The masks that are being sold, he cannot afford: the price has quintupled, from 100 CFA francs (about R3.12) to between 500 CFA francs and 1 000 CFA francs.

Wule is not the only person struggling to comply with the emergency regulations. There are simply not enough face masks in Cameroon for everyone. 

“The masks are scarce and even seem unavailable. Families and friends will use that which is available in turns just to escape police trouble,” commented one civil society activist, who asked not to be named.

Many people have started making masks themselves, from fabric, but this comes with its own risks. “They have not been well educated on how to use these reusable masks. The management of the cloth mask is also problematic. They are being fabricated in homes and no attention is paid to sterilisation after fabrication. The Covid-19 status of the persons fabricating them are also not known,” said Dr Ade Harrison Manju, the director of Benakuma district hospital.

Harrison has also observed people trying on face masks before purchasing them. “This seems to be a new mode of transmission. Imagine buying a mask that has been tried on previously by about 10 people whose status you do not know. It is risky!” he said.

The World Health Organisation cautions that wearing a mask alone is not an adequate defence against Covid-19, and that “there is currently no evidence that wearing a mask (whether medical or other types) by healthy persons in the wider community setting, including universal community masking, can prevent them from infection with respiratory viruses, including Covid-19.”

The politics of protection

One campaign designed to support Cameroonians in this difficult time is the Survie-Cameroon-Survival Initiative, which aimed to raise €1-million for relief efforts. But it was declared illegal by the government, perhaps because it was founded by Maurice Kamto, the main opposition leader. The interior ministry has taken steps to freeze the campaign’s bank account.

For his part, Kamto has accused President Paul Biya of being absent during this crisis, and has asked Parliament to declare a power vacancy and organise new elections. Kamto may have a point: Biya had not been seen in public for about a month. This week, following Kamto’s stinging criticism, the presidency released a photograph of Biya meeting the French ambassador to Cameroon. A tweet from Biya’s account read: “On the menu for our exchange this afternoon: managing the Covid-19 pandemic in Cameroon, France and around the world.”

Kamto was not impressed. “Cameroonians are expecting him to address the nation, to tell them exactly what is going on, to share his vision,” said Kamto, speaking to the Washington Post. “Whether that photo is real? Authentic? I don’t know.”

Nkongho Felix Agbor, a renowned Buea-based human rights  lawyer, condemned the politicisation of Covid-19. “This is not the time [for] playing politics with the lives of our people, many of whom are dying. There is a need for a collective action,” he said.

Others see the government restriction as unwise. Ndansi Elvis, a United States-based Cameroonian with deep knowledge of health economics, calls it “insanity.” He thinks it is an act of cowardice for the government to order the closure of the account of a solidarity fund aimed at fighting this pandemic, simply because of political rivalry. “Are the funds to be used in sponsoring any terrorist act? Can government convince those donating from all over the world to donate to its own fundraiser when they know well that because of credibility issues people may not donate as much?”

Source: Mail/Guardian

Non-European doctors have become indispensable for France as the country’s healthcare system struggles to deal with the coronavirus crisis. But with foreign university degrees, they are not seen as equals to their French counterparts, and are often both paid and respected less.

Nesrine Mahfoudhi works in a Covid-19 unit in a French hospital. Like all of her coworkers, she has had to cope with the unprecedented spike in patients due to the coronavirus. But one thing sets her apart: she earned her medical degree outside the EU, meaning she does not have the same professional status as European doctors.

“We work more than our French co-workers, out of necessity. We’re paid less than them. My head of service trusts me. He’s considered me as a real doctor since I started working here. So I don’t see why the French government doesn’t consider us as doctors as well,” she says.

She is not alone. Thousands of foreign doctors practice in France, often in less secure jobs and with a lower pay, and many of them have become indispensable in dealing with the coronavirus crisis.

“Many emergency departments wouldn’t be able to function without doctors with foreign medical degrees. These doctors have done so much for France,” Mathias Wargon, head of the ER at the Delafontaine Hospital in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.

Many now hope that a healthcare law passed by lawmakers last year will make it easier for foreign doctors to receive the same professional recognition as their French colleagues.

Source: France 24

More than a thousand COVID cases have been confirmed in conflict-prone Cameroon, provoking fears that the situation may get out of hand if the virus spreads to refugee camps and areas where internally displaced persons from the country’s separatist crisis and Boko Haram terrorism live. Rights groups are asking for humanitarian assistance, saying resources are already stretched tackling Boko Haram terrorism, separatist conflicts, the spillover of the carnage in neighboring CAR and now, COVID-19.

Cameroon’s prime minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, in a declaration broadcast on all local radio and TV stations, said schools that were closed March 17 will remain closed for at least the next 45 days, since COVID-19 cases have increased from barely a hundred in March to over 1,000 on April 18.

“The resumption of classes on the indicative date of 1st June,” he said. “It is understood that this measure is subject to change, depending on the evolution of the pandemic.”

Ngute called on Cameroonians to remain indoors, practice hygiene methods and wear masks if they must go out. He said COVID-19 has killed 23 Cameroonians and 180 have recovered, while more than 800 are still being treated in already-overcrowded health facilities.

Strained resources

Cameroon Civil Society Group leader Edward Nfor said the country may not be financially and materially able to handle its increasing COVID-19 cases because it’s also tackling Boko Haram terrorism on its northern border with Nigeria, separatist conflicts in the English-speaking regions and the spillover of the carnage in neighboring Central African Republic.

“With the COVID just coming in, I find it very difficult for the state of Cameroon,” he said. “There are alarming numbers of refugees coming in from the Central African Republic and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Just imagine that the COVID-19 enters into these refugee camps. I find Cameroon in a very delicate situation.”

Issa Tchiroma, Cameroon employment and vocational training minister, said Cameroon finds itself in a difficult situation because most of its resources are already invested in crisis and humanitarian assistance.

Cameroon has not disclosed how much it spends in the separatist conflict that has killed 3,000 people since 2017 and in the war against Boko Haram terrorism.

Already affecting exports

Antonio Pedro, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa director for central Africa, said exports that Cameroon relies on for income are already affected by the spread of COVID-19.

“We have seen oil prices go down from $65, 60 to 30. Coffee, cocoa, wood, palm oil —  the demand in the major importing countries will go down, and prices are also being revised downwards,” he said.

In a report published April 17, the International Rescue Committee describes Cameroon as one of the world’s most forgotten crises, facing three distinct emergencies, from armed violence in the northwest and southwest to an influx of refugees from Nigeria and Central Africa Republic.

The IRC said that more than 700,000 people in some places have been forced to flee their homes and are living in cramped, crowded informal camps, meaning COVID-19 will spread rapidly throughout the population.

The IRC said that Cameroon, with almost 4 million people in need of humanitarian aid and the highest COVID-19 caseload across the Sahel and East Africa, faces increased danger from the pandemic. And with 2.5 million people already in need of urgent medical care without the outbreak, the health system is clearly ill prepared to handle a rapid escalation in cases, despite the best efforts of the government and its partners.

Source: VOA

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed “systemic weaknesses” in global health systems, the G20 said Monday, but there was no mention of Washington’s contentious decision to halt World Health Organization funding.

The statement came after health ministers from the 20 most advanced economies held a virtual meeting on Sunday hosted by the group’s current president Saudi Arabia following criticism the institution was slow to address the pandemic.

“Health Ministers recognised that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted systemic weaknesses in health systems,” they said in a joint statement.

“It also has shown vulnerabilities in the global community’s ability to prevent and respond to pandemic threats.

“Ministers addressed the need to improve the effectiveness of global health systems by sharing knowledge and closing the gap in response capabilities and readiness.”

The worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 164,016 on Sunday, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

More than 2,363,210 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December.

The novel coronavirus has upended the lives of billions of people as nations imposed lockdown measures to curb its spread, sending the global economy into a tailspin.

The G20 statement was silent on US President Donald Trump’s decision last week to cut off Washington’s bilateral funding to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Trump has accused the UN body of mishandling the coronavirus crisis.

The US contributed $400 million to the WHO last year.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has condemned the US suspension of funds, saying it was “not the time to reduce” the WHO’s resources.

The WHO remained “absolutely critical” in the global fight against the virus, he said.

Source:  AFP

Confirmed cases of coronavirus passed the 20,000 mark barely 24-hours after the deaths topped 1,000. This is according to tallies from the John Hopkins University tracker.

The figures as of 13:30 GMT stood at 100,075 with 4,600+ recoveries and 1,026 deaths leaving a little over 13,350 active cases.

Egypt remained the continent’s most impacted whiles the North African region generally contributed for some of the highest numbers. Egypt with 2,844 cases, Morocco with 2,600+ cases and Algeria with 2,418 confirmed cases.

South of the Sahara, South Africa’s 2,700+ cases was the highest with Cameroon in a distant second with 1,017, Ivory Coast’s 732, Djibouti’s 732 and Ghana’s 641 completed the top five slots.

Meanwhile the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA, has warned that cases could spike across the continent as more testing is rolled out in the coming weeks.

Africa could see 300,000 deaths from the coronavirus this year even under the best-case scenario, according to a new report released Friday that cites modeling from Imperial College London.

Under the worst-case scenario with no interventions against the virus, Africa could see 3.3 million deaths and 1.2 billion infections, the report by the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa said.

Even with “intense social distancing.” under the best-case scenario the continent could see more than 122 million infections, the report said.

Any of the scenarios would overwhelm Africa’s largely fragile and underfunded health systems, experts have warned. Under the best-case scenario, $44 billion would be needed for testing, personal protective equipment and treatment, the report said, citing UNECA estimates. The worst-case scenario would cost $446 billion.

Source: Africa News

Australia on Sunday called for an independent investigation into the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, including the World Health Organization’s handling of the crisis.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the country would “insist” on a review that would probe, in part, China’s early response to the outbreak in Wuhan, the city where COVID-19 emerged late last year.

“We need to know the sorts of details that an independent review would identify for us about the genesis of the virus, about the approaches to dealing with it (and) addressing the openness with which information was shared,” she told public broadcaster ABC.

Payne said Australia shared similar concerns to the United States, whose President Donald Trump has accused the WHO of “mismanaging” the crisis and covering up the seriousness of China’s outbreak before it spread.

Trump has also announced that Washington will halt payments to the UN body that amounted to $400 million last year.

“I’m not sure that you can have the health organisation which has been responsible for disseminating much of the international communications material, and doing much of the early engagement and investigative work, also as the review mechanism,” Payne said.

“That strikes me as a bit poacher-and-gamekeeper.”

Payne added she believed the fallout from the pandemic was set to change the relationship between Australia and China “in some ways”, with her concern around Beijing’s transparency now “at a very high point”.

Health Minister Greg Hunt backed the call for an independent review, saying Australia had achieved success in limiting the spread of the virus in part by going against WHO advice.

Australia — which has recorded 6,600 coronavirus cases and 70 deaths linked to COVID-19 — was one of the first countries to impose a ban on travel from China.

“Australia has been able to have, by global standards, just a profoundly important and successful human outcome, but we have done that by following the course that our medical experts here in Australia set out,” Hunt said.

“We do know there was very considerable criticism when we imposed on the 1 February the China ban from some of the officials and the WHO in Geneva.”

Hunt said although the WHO had “done well” in fighting diseases like polio, measles and malaria, its coronavirus response “didn’t help the world”.

“We have done well because we made our own decisions as a country,” he added.

In recent weeks, Australia has seen the rate of new cases slow dramatically, leading health authorities to declare the country has “flattened the curve”.

Tough restrictions on movement and gatherings are set to remain in place for at least the next month as officials attempt to keep the virus spread under control.

Source:  AFP

South Africa is into the extension of the national lockdown. Questions remain on the minds of citizens across the continent whether stepped-up measures such as lockdowns have made a difference?

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the World Economic Forum on Covid-19 in Africa held a briefing on 16 April.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa confirmed that there are now 17 000 Covid-19 cases and 900 deaths in Africa to date. South Africa, Algeria and Cameroon account for half of the cases.

When a vaccination becomes available is there protocol set in place to ensure the vulnerable get it first?

“We build on lessons of the past, like Ebola,” said Elsie Kanza, Head of Africa, World Economic Forum. New partnerships were called upon to ensure the safe and effective distribution of vaccines, “It is all about solidarity” which was reiterated by Dr Simon Missiri, Regional Director for Africa, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). “Politicians’ first response is to protect their people but we need solidarity… which we know is difficult to practice.”

Dr Moeti said the WHO Africa is encouraging African countries to get involved in clinical vaccine trials to contribute to the global Covid-19 vaccine effort.

Lockdown and other measures: A balancing act of the health of citizens or the economy

South Africa’s swift methods such as social distancing, the closing of schools and lockdown seem to have slowed down the Covid-19 curve. “Lockdown measures are difficult but this needs to be supported with strong communication,” Dr Moeti added.

It is important that countries who implement measures such as lockdown, do them gradually. This is to minimize the frustrations put on communities.

Kanza expressed concern over the socio-economic impacts of communities in Africa. She said that it is likely that one-third of Africans are likely to lose their jobs. This is due to the many sectors of industry closing such as restaurants and non-essential services as well as those in the informal sector. Dr Moeti confirmed that the WHO Africa budget is $300 million which is worked out over six months.

It is difficult to balance the health or the economy of communities. Dr Missiri explained that non-standard solutions need to be implemented in ‘slum-like areas’ or highly densely populated communities.

“What is more important? Loss of life or economic downturn?” posed Dr Missiri.

Estimation or trajectory of Covid-19 in Africa:

Dr Michel Yao, WHO Emergency Operations Programme Manager, said it is difficult to make a long-time estimation. There are many factors to take into account such as geography or whether public health measures are working to flatten the spread.

Culled from Sandtonchronicle

The number of people infected with the novel coronavirus in the world has risen to more than two million, out of whom over 130,000 have died, but experts believe the figures understate the true toll of the contagion.

The death toll and number of infections have roughly doubled in 13 days and continue to grow steadily.

Some European countries like Germany think they have passed the peak of the disease and begin to take careful steps to lift restrictions imposed to slow the virus.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday announced first steps in undoing coronavirus lockdowns for the coming weeks, with most shops allowed to open although schools must stay closed until May 4.

Shops up to 800 square meters will be allowed to reopen once they have “plans to maintain hygiene”, Merkel said, while schools will gradually reopen with priority given to pupils about to take exams.

However, outbreaks in many parts of the world are still considered far from their peaks.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended a nationwide lockdown for nearly three more weeks. The decision is going to leave more than one billion people under severe restrictions.

Deaths from thepandemic in Italy rose by 578 on Wednesday, down from 602 the day before, while the number of new cases slowed to 2,667 from a previous 2,972, continuing the recent downward trend.The number of new cases was the lowest since March 13, but the daily tally of deaths remains stubbornly high.

In France, the death toll increased to 17,000 on Wednesday, but the total number currently hospitalized fell for the first time since the epidemic began.

Meanwhile, nearly 700 sailors assigned to the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle’s naval group tested positive for the coronavirus. The country’s armed forces ministry said on Wednesday 1,767 mariners, nearly all from the Charles de Gaulle itself, had been tested and results showed at least 668 to be infected with the new coronavirus.

In the United Kingdom, the number of people who have died in hospitals from the coronavirus has risen to 12,868, according to Health Ministry figures.

The United States marked a record 2,569 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, the heaviest daily toll recorded by the country since the outbreak first began, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

In the US, the lack of testing capacity has emerged as a signature failure of the Trump administration’s response and now threatens to hamper efforts across the country to plan for an eventual reopening of the economy, the New York Times reports.

Turkey confirmed 115 more deaths from the novel coronavirus in the country over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 1,518.The total number of registered coronavirus cases surged to 69,392 as 4,281 more people tested positive for the virus, Health Minister FahrettinKoca said on Twitter.

Libya’s internationally-recognized government, in the west, imposed a curfew for 10 days effective from Friday, April 17, the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) said in a statement. Libya’s National center for disease control reported 36 cases of coronavirus in Libya and only one death.

More than 500,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus globally, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

China has the highest number of recovered people with 78,282.

However, experts believe the real numbers of infections and deaths are much higher than the official figures suggest, and the official numbers are just bleak markets that understate the true spread of the disease, mainly because of a lack of testing and the extent to which different countries test their citizens.

Source: Presstv