Speaking at the National Assembly Thursday, April 16, 2020, the Minister of Public Health told Members of Parliament that Cameroon counts no fewer than 922 positive cases of the novel coronavirus among them a 3-month-old baby and 24 health workers.

Of the close to a thousand confirmed cases of COVID-19, 21 deaths have been recorded with over 200 recoveries, Malachie said. He furthered that 374 cases of the novel coronavirus are hospitalised with 30 on ventilators.

The age range for those tested positive falls between 0-80, and zero being that a woman gave birth and later infected her 3-month-old baby, Hon. Ngala Gerard quotes Minister Malachie as saying.

“A total of 40.000 calls, have so far been received from the public on issues directly related to the coronavirus pandemic.”

Hon. Cabral Libii, President of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation took to twitter after the briefing to quote Minister Malachie as saying that “all medical operations within the framework of the country’s coronavirus response are free".

This information however goes to contradict information from locals who say they have had to cough out hundreds of FCFA in medical expenses to take care of relatives tested positive for the virus.

Libii said government’s coronavirus response plan costs FCFA 58 billion with a maximum testing capacity to date standing at 18,900. “100 respirators have been ordered and delivery expected on April 18, 2020,” Libii quotes the Health Minister as saying.