Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Cameroon, four variants of the virus have affected the population. An Information unveiled on July 12th during a presentation by the Minister of Public Heath , Manaouda Malachie.
The variants are Alpha, Beta, Delta and Omicron variants. This information comes from the analysis of the different strains carried out by experts of the genomic surveillance platform set up in Cameroon in April 2021.
During a press briefing on 7 July in Yaounde, the Minister of Public Health , Manaouda Malachie, gave details of this progression. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, the mother virus has spread throughout the country. Established in April 2021, the surveillance platform consists of four laboratories capable of performing the complete sequencing of the Sars-CoV-2 genome, which is the source of Covid-19. Sixteen other laboratories are involved in the screening and/or partial sequencing of this virus.
According to Cameroon tribune, at this date, the teams which benefit from the support of international experts, have already examined 4582 samples taken throughout the country. According to Minsanté, this platform has made it possible to detect the circulation of different variants across the country and to determine their dynamics since the beginning of the pandemic in Cameroon.
The results obtained reveal the movements of these variants over the past two years. Thus, it appears that the country has experienced four different waves driven by a continuous dynamic of variants of concern, with the strains of the original lineage in the first wave.
“The emergence of the Alpha variant was also observed during the second wave, the presence of the Alpha, Beta and Delta variants during the third wave, with a predominance of the Delta variant,” said Malaouda Malachie.
The fourth wave was characterised by a “co-circulation of Delta and Omicron variants, with a predominance of the Omicron variant, including during the 2021 African Cup of Nations in Cameroon,” the minister added. Of all these variants, Delta has caused the most damage, with a wave characterised by a mortality rate of 2.2%. As of 6 July 2022, Cameroon has recorded 120,215 confirmed cases, 118,227 recoveries and 1931 deaths.
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