COVID-19 pandemic in Madagascar

The COVID-19 pandemic in Madagascar is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On 20 March 2020, the first case in Madagascar was confirmed in Antananarivo.

COVID-19 pandemic in Madagascar
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationMadagascar
Index caseAntananarivo
Arrival date13 March 2020
(4 months, 3 weeks and 5 days)
Confirmed cases13,643 (as of 13 August)[1]
Active cases1,468 (as of 13 August)
Recovered12,011 (as of 13 August)
Deaths
164 (as of 13 August)

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[2][3] The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[4][5] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[6][4] Model-based simulations for Madagascar indicate that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number R t has been stable above 1.0 since June 2020.[7]

Timeline

March 2020

On 20 March, the first three cases were confirmed in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. All three cases were women.[8]

During March 57 persons tested positive. All 57 cases were active at the end of the month.[9]

April 2020

By 22 April, Madagascar had reported 121 cases but no deaths.[10]

During April 71 persons tested positive. The number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak reached 128. The number of active cases at the end of the month was 36, a decrease by 37% from March.[11]

May 2020

On 5 May, Madagascar reported a total of 149 cases but no deaths.[12] The first death was recorded on 16 May. The victim was an unnamed 57-year-old medical worker who suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure.[13]

During the month 643 persons tested positive. The number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak reached 771. The number of active cases at the end of the month was 597, an increase by 561 persons from April. Six persons died from COVID-19 in May.[14]

June 2020

As of 2 June, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control had recorded 6 COVID-19 related deaths in Madagascar.[15]

The pandemic has been blamed for an early and fiercer than normal fire season as citizens deprived of tourism revenue turn to the forests.[16]

During the month 1443 persons tested positive, bringing the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak to 2214. There were 1200 active cases at the end of June, more than twice the number at the end of May. The death toll increased by 14 to 20.[17]

July 2020

By 12 July, a total of 4,867 positive cases had been recorded, more than double the total at the end of June. On 7 July, a lockdown was reimposed in the central region to deal with the surge in cases.[18]

In July there were 8,654 new cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 10,868. The death toll rose to 106. The number of recovered patients reached 7,807 while 2,955 cases remained active at the end of the month.[19]

August 2020

Prevention measures

Lockdowns were implemented in at least two cities.[20] The government announced on 17 March that all international and regional flights would be suspended for 30 days starting 20 March.[21]

Due to the crisis, a lack of international tourists caused problems for the tourism industry.[22] Ambatovy mine suspended operations.[20] The Central Bank of Madagascar injected hundreds of billions of ariary into the banking system to ease the economic damage caused by COVID-19.[23]

On 20 April 2020,[24] Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina officially launched a coronavirus "cure" dubbed "Covid-Organic". Developed by the Madagascar Institute of Applied Research (MIAR), the herbal tea was made using artemisia and other locally sourced herbs. Soldiers were dispatched to hand out batches of "Covid-Organic", with Colonel Willy Ratovondrainy announcing on state television that the tea would "strengthen immunity".[25] However, the National Academy of Medicine of Madagascar (ANAMEM) voiced its skepticism, while the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned that there was no proof for any coronavirus cure at the time of Covid-Organic's launch. The African Union has entered into discussions with the Malagasy government to test the drug's safety and efficiency.[10][26]

In the central region with Antananarivo, a lockdown was imposed from 6 to 20 July in response to a spike in new cases in the capital.[27]

See also

References
  1. "Worldometer Madagascar". Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  2. Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  3. Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  4. "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  6. "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  7. Future scenarios of the healthcare burden of COVID-19 in low- or middle-income countries, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London.
  8. "Officiel trois premiers cas de Coronavirus à Madagascar". Orange Madagascar (in French). 20 March 2020.
  9. "Afrique. Coronavirus : ces pays qui ont les meilleurs taux de guérison" (in French). 2 April 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  10. "Coronavirus: Caution urged over Madagascar's 'herbal cure'". BBC News. 22 April 2020. Archived from the original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  11. "Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation report 101" (PDF). World Health Organization. 30 April 2020. p. 8. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  12. Qazi, Shereena; Uras, Umut (5 May 2020). "UK coronavirus death toll rises above 30,000: Live updates". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  13. "Madagascar records its first COVID-19 death -official". Reuters. 17 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  14. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 133" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 June 2020. p. 7. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  15. "Download today's data on the geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases worldwide". ECDC. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  16. "In Madagascar's dry forests, COVID-19 sparks an intense, early fire season". Mongabay Environmental News. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  17. "Epidémie - 76 nouveaux cas confirmés positifs au coronavirus sur 148 tests annoncés ce mardi". 2424 (in French). 30 June 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  18. "Madagascar reimposes lockdown in capital as coronavirus cases surge". www.msn.com. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  19. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 194" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 August 2020. p. 4. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  20. "Sumitomo halts mines in Bolivia, Madagascar". MINING.COM. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  21. "Madagascar suspend toutes les liaisons aériennes régionales et internationales". mofcom.gov.cn (in French). 18 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  22. "Tourists' departure leaves Madagascar forlorn as coronavirus fears bite". Reuters. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  23. "Madagascar's central bank injects cash to support economy due to virus". Reuters. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  24. "Madagascar : Andry Rajoelina lance son remède contre le coronavirus" (in French). jeuneafrique. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  25. "Madagascar hands out 'miracle' coronavirus cure as it lifts lockdown". The Straits Times. 23 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  26. "Coronavirus: What is Madagascar's 'herbal remedy' Covid-Organics?". Al Jazeera. 5 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  27. "Madagascar reimposes lockdown in capital as coronavirus cases surge". CNN. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
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