By Aina
Kahagalala, ANTANANARIVO Madagascar
Public hospitals in Madagascar said they’ve reached full capacity and will only accept patients with the most severe forms of Covid-19 as cases surge in the Indian Ocean island nation.
President Andry Rajoelina earlier
this month re-imposed a lockdown on the country’s central region until July 26
as the five public hospitals in the capital, Antananarivo, announced they could
no longer cope with the influx of patients.
Only one person per household is
allowed to go out to buy food or medicine. An initial lockdown in March was
lifted after four weeks.
The government has opened a 400-bed
treatment centre for people with mild symptoms and is importing about 1,000
oxygen machines. The number of confirmed cases reached 7,153 on Monday,
including 62 deaths.
Those who don’t get tested and die
at home will not be included in official statistics, the spokeswoman of the
country’s Covid-19 Command Center, Hanta Marie Danielle Vololontiana, said last
week.
Madagascar is building a factory to
mass-produce a drink that was touted by authorities as a cure for Covid-19 even
though it hasn’t been clinically tested or approved by drug regulators.
Sold as Covid-Organics, the drink
contains extracts of the artemisia annua plant, which is used to treat malaria.
However, Health Ministry guidelines for citizens to treat themselves at home do not mention Covid-Organics. - Africa
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