Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina disclosed that two law makers (1 deputy and a senator) has died in the country as a result of Covid-19.
According to him, at least 14 senators and eleven deputies have contracted the virus as the number of cases in the continues to rise.
President Raoelina said this during a talk show on national television on Sunday, he said “One deputy died. A senator died. After the tests carried out on the deputies, 11 members of parliament were detected carrying the coronavirus. At the Senate, 14 people, senators and agents of Senate carry the coronavirus.”
Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar was on 5 July placed under lockdown in the bid to curtail the spread of the virus in the country.
The first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in Madagascar in March 2020. The President in April launched Covid-Organics, which he said is a treatment for Covid-19. At the time of launch the country had recorded just over 100 cases with no deaths.
Covid-Organics is made from a plant with a proven use for malaria treatment known as artemisia and other locally sourced herbs. The drinks has been given to several African countries including Nigeria, although its efficacy has not been proven.
On Sunday May 17, it announced its first death from Covid-19, at the time of recording first death, Madagascar has confirmed 304 cases of Covid-19, with 114 recoveries.
- Have you read?
- China to start Covid-19 vaccine trial in Brazil
- Naira Value Rises against the U.S Dollar
The number of cases have continued to rise in Madagascar. The country has recorded 5,080 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 2,494 recoveries and 37 deaths according to Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
This puts the country’s recovery rate at 45.28% and death rate at 0.067%. Globally, Madagascar is among the countries with very low death rate, yet it is also among the countries with very low recovery rates.
Rajoelina also said that he and his family had been taking Covid-Organics.
“It is true that I have been in contact with people likely to carry the coronavirus. I have even entered hospitals that care for patients with Covid-19. I’m fine,” he said.
“I don’t carry coronavirus at all. I have no symptoms. Thank God. I follow the directives that I have given myself. But above all, me and my loved ones, my wife and my children, we drink and we follow a treatment based on the Covid-Organics concoction.”
Nigeria received its allocation of Covid-organics on Saturday 16 May 2020. At the time, total number of confirmed cases in the country was 5,621 out of which 1,472 have been discharged while 176 deaths recorded.
On Monday, 595 new cases were confirmed in Nigeria to bring the total confirmed cases to 33,153 with 13,671 recoveries and 744 deaths. Recovery rate in Nigeria is 41.23% and death rate is 2.24%
Although with limited amount of testing done in Nigeria, the number of covid-19 infections in the country is highly under reported as several go undetected. Just 186,309 samples have been tested for Covid-19 in a country of over 200 million people since the outbreak began.
Africa has recorded a total of 610,807 cases with 304,861 recoveries and 13,456 deaths. The recovery rate in Africa stands at 50.75% while death rate is 2.20%.
Globally, 13,113,181 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed with 7,268,022 recoveries and 573,288 deaths according to John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre. Global recovery rate is 60.00% and death rate is 4.73%.
Written by;
Ifunanya Ikueze
