Cameroon coronavirus cases surpass 16,000

By Felix Tih

ANKARA (AA) - Cameroon has confirmed more than 16,000 cases, as the Central African country is preparing to reopen borders, authorities said late Thursday.

Health Minister Dr. Manaouda Malachie said the country's recovery rate stands at 85%.

"While pursuing our 3T [tracking-testing-treat] strategy, we must remember that the interruption of virus transmission depends on our behavior. If we respect all public health measures and wear our masks in public, then the virus will stop," he said.

The country has recorded 16,157 coronavirus cases so far, with 373 deaths and 13,728 recoveries, according to Malachie.

With a population of 25 million, Cameroon has performed 135,000 COVID-19 tests.

On Thursday, the country's Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute presided a Cabinet meeting where they discussed the government’s response strategy against the COVID-19 pandemic, level of mobilization by transport and security services at the borders in view of an eventual reopening of frontiers, state-run CRTV reported on Thursday night following the meeting.

Earlier this week, the health minister called on pregnant women and new mothers to visit hospitals for health checks despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Malachie said maternal and child health remains priority.

Cameroon has the highest number of coronavirus cases in Central Africa.