Cameroon confirms first coronavirus case

By Felix Tih

ANKARA (AA) - Cameroon health officials Friday confirmed the first case of the novel coronavirus in the Central African country.

“The case was placed in solitary confinement in the Care Centre of the Yaounde Central Hospital for appropriate treatment,” Public Health Minister Manaouda Malachie said in a statement.

Malachie also reassured the public and said “all measures are being taken by the government to contain possible risks of the spread of the virus.”

It added that the case is a 58-year-old French citizen who arrived in the capital Yaounde on Feb. 24.

The health official urged the public to be “vigilant and respect hygiene rules.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) also confirmed the case in a tweet.

Cameroon is the fourth Sub-Saharan African country confirming a coronavirus case after Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.

COVID-19 emerged in China’s central Wuhan city last December and has now spread to over 80 countries.

The global death toll is almost 3,300, with more than 95,200 confirmed cases, according to the WHO.

Notably, some 52,000 patients who contracted the virus recovered.

The WHO, which declared the outbreak an international health emergency, recently updated the global risk level to very high.