Two lawmakers in Madagascar have succumbed after contracting COVID-19, over twenty others are also receiving treatment for the virus, president Andry Rajoelina announced.
The deceased comprise one Senator and a member of the lower chamber,11 other members and 14 senators also tested positive.
The news comes as government re-imposed lockdown on a major region under which the capital Antananarivo falls, the reason was to better contain surge in cases.
A week ago, the presidency issued a statement dispelling social media reports that Rajoelina had contracted the virus.
The country’s caseload is one of the highest in the southern African region, it is also the most impacted island nation on the continent.
Confirmed cases = 4,867
Active cases = 2,454
Recoveries = 2,378
Number of deaths = 35
The July 7 statement (in French) said the president was occupied with leading the country’s fight against the virus and was exercising full control over the governance machinery.
Spike in cases especially in the capital Antananarivo has precipitated the reinstatement of lockdown to control the spread of the virus.
The Presidency of the Republic formally denies rumors about the state of health of the President of the Republic, Andry Rajoelina, relayed by social networks and or published on websites.
President Andry Rajoelina is in good health and is not affected by COVID-19 at all.
He has never left Malagasy territory since the start of the health crisis to date.
He faces with all the Malagasy people, the global health crisis which affects our country today and he continues to find, with all the specialists and all the State entities, suitable solutions in the management of this pandemic.
He directs the councils of ministers and several meetings by videoconference to respect the health rules required to prevent the spread of this COVID 19 virus.
Confirmed cases = 522,643
Active cases = 257,466
Recoveries = 252,944
Number of deaths = 12,233
Madagascar is in the process of equipping its health facilities in order to produce most medicines it currently imports, president Rajoelina announced on Thursday.
The president was reacting to the receipt of state-of-the-art equipment to equip the new pharmaceutical plant “Pharmalagasy.” The consignment was delivered by the Pharma Wing section of Ethiopian Airlines.
“Thanks to the work of Malagasy researchers and foreign scientists, Pharmalagasy will launch CVO+, a curative and preventive capsule against Covid-19 made from artemisia,” Rajoelina added stressing that the move was part of Madagascar positioning “itself on the global pharmaceutical market.”
COVID-Organics has now transited from the usual liquid form, even as government backtracked on administering it via injectables. The capsules are the new form that the president is announcing.
Meanwhile, the WHO and Africa Centers for Disease Control, Africa CDC, have yet to release any findings or developments from their interactions with Malagasy authorities over the purported virus cure.
The country has also announced a partnership with a Bionexx, a company specialized in the culture of artemisia, a move that will make Madagascar the first African producer of medicines based on the medicinal plant, Rajoelina added.
Rajoelina says it was developed by Malagasy Institute of Applied Research. Says it is of two types, the curative and preventive. It is made from Artemisia, an anti-malarial plant that grows on the island
Another name for it is Tambavy CVO. The WHO – global and Africa offices have cautioned against it and other unproven herbal drugs.
It is freely distributed in schools and in other public places.
A number of African countries officially requested for them, among others Tanzania, Congo, DRC, Chad, Comoros
Madagascar made a donation to West African nations in the ECOWAS bloc. But the ECOWAS Commission clarified it hadn’t ordered for or endorsed the potion.
Africa Centers for Disease Control is in talks with Madagascar over the potion. According to Rajoelina, the country will sign a confidentiality clause with WHO on the formulation of the drug.
A number of Africa countries are subjecting the donation to tests before administering if at all.
Confirmed cases = 1,403
Number of deaths = 13
Recoveries = 463
Active cases = 927
Last week, the Republic of Chad sent a jet to Madagascar for another round of COVID-Organics.
President Rajoelina said the second donation was because of the positive effects the first achieved in the Central African country.
20,000 doses of the curative and preventive types of the herbal mixture were subsequently carted off by a delegation sent by the Chadian government.
Chad remains one of the least impacted countries in the Central African region.
According to the John Hopkins University tallies, it has 850 confirmed cases with 73 deaths and 720 recoveries. 57 active cases remain under treatment as of today, June 16, 2020 at 07:00 GMT.
Madagascar’s statistics include: 1,290 confirmed cases, 10 deaths, 384 recoveries and 896 active cases as of today.
President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina has delivered a scathing verdict of persons increasingly speaking against the country’s purported traditional cure for COVID-19.
In an exclusive interview with French broadcasters, France24 and RFI, Rajoelina said his country will continue to administer and develop the cure which according to him accounts for the majority of its virus recoveries.
“We have 171 cases, including 105 cured. The patients who were cured took only the COVID-Organics medication,” he confirmed.
Asked about warnings issued by WHO, ECOWAS and Africa CDC, he dismissed them stressing that the warnings are meant to detract and discourage progress of the drug, which Madagascar was not going to allow.
“If it weren’t Madagascar, but a European country that had discovered the remedy COVID-Organics, would there be so many doubts? I do not think so…”
“We say bad things about the Tambavy CVO product, when it only does good. They want to slow us down, discourage us, forbid us to move forward …” he further stressed.
Source: Channels TV
