YAOUNDE, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Since the announcement of the first case of COVID-19 on March 6, Cameroon had reported at least 66 confirmed cases until Tuesday, including two cured case and one death, according to the country's health authorities.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Cameroonian Minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachie declared the first death in Cameroon due to the novel coronavirus.
"This is patient 3 who came to us from Italy already very affected by the disease. Sincere condolences to his family and courage to our health professionals," he tweeted.
According to official statements, the third case is a 56-year-old Cameroonian living in Italy. He arrived in Cameroon on March 7 via Paris, and was declared positive for COVID-19 on March 14.
Monday overnight, Cameroon recorded ten additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 66, according to Cameroonian health authorities.
So far there is no official report on the total number of COVID-19 infections in Cameroon. Manaouda said on twitter on Monday that his country had 56 confirmed cases, so a updated toll should be 66 cases.
The 66 cases are distributed in at least three major cities of the country, the capital Yaounde, the economic hub Douala, and the western city of Bafoussam.
Local transmission has already taken place in Cameroon since last week, according to reports of World Health Organization (WHO), but the Cameroonian health authorities do not report the situation in details.
Last week, the government said two patients were cured after two weeks of treatment. The two cured are the first two cases announced in Cameroon on March 6, a 58-year-old French citizen and a 30-year-old Cameroonian woman.
