This information has been revealed by the Ministry of Public Health, during one of its recent recent press briefings.

Since the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic in Cameroon, four different variants of the virus have affected the population. These variants include: the Alpha, Belta, Delta and the Omicron variants.

This information originates from the analysis of the different strains carried out by experts from the genomic monitoring platform set up in April 2021.

During a press briefing given on July 7 in Yaoundé, the minister of Public Health, Manaouda Malachie gave the details of this progress. Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the parent virus has spread across the country.

Created in April 2021, the monitoring platform is made up of four laboratories capable of carrying out the complete sequence of the Sars-Cov2 genome, the origin of Covid-19. Sixteen other laboratories are involved in screening and/or partial sequencing of the said virus.

According to Cameroon Tribune, as of this date, the teams that benefited from the support of international experts have already examined 4582 taken across the country. According to be ministry of Public Health, this platform has made it possible to detect the circulation of different variants across the country and to determine their dynamics since the start of the pandemic in Cameroon.

The results obtained reveal the movement of these variants over the past two years. Thus, it appears that the country has experienced four different waves driven by a continuing dynamic of the Variants of concern, with the original lineage strains at the first wave.

“The emergence of the Alpha variant was also observed during the second wave, the presence of Alpha, Belta and Delta variants during the third wave, with the predominance of the Delta variant,” Dr. Manaouda Malachie indicated.

The fourth variant was characterized by a “co-circulation of the Delta and Omicron variants with the predominance of the Omicron variant, particularly during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon,” the minister added.

Of all these variants, the Delta variant caused the most damage, with a wave characterised by a death rate of 2.2%. As of July 6, 2022, Cameroon has recorded 120,215 confirmed cases, 117,287 recoveries and 1,931 deaths.

Ingrid KENGNE