Abstract
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause illnesses such as the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). In 2019, a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of a disease outbreak that originated in China. Cases of COVID-19 have been reported in a growing number of cities worldwide. Cameroon recorded the first case of the Coronavirus on March 6, 2020 and thereafter, there was a geometric increase in the number of cases. In response to this, the government announced firm measures in an effort to curb the exponential increase of the Coronavirus cases in the country. Despite the measures, the number of cases has continued to increase, coupled with another unwanted socio-economic phenomenon. This study aims to present the challenges to fight COVID-19 in Cameroon urban settlements as with the case of Douala metropolitan city, to examine its geographical distribution pattern, and to apprehend its socio-economic impacts on Douala city dwellers. Data used here derived from local and national health statistics, and from a cross-sectional study conducted in Douala city from May to December 2020. Results reveal that coherent measures were taken by health officials to fight the pandemics. However, spread of the virus has continued in the city, under a differentiated dissemination pattern. Findings also revealed that during lockdown, the city witnessed downturn in the economy, increase in domestic violence and mental health problems. The study recommends the effective follow-up of the measures put in place by the government as well as all the stakeholders, the financial support of enterprises and an aggressive sensitization of the population.
Highlights
An outbreak of a new coronavirus disease that causes respiratory tract infections and can be lethal in humans began in China in December 2019
Cameroon recorded the first case of the Coronavirus on the 6th of March 2020 and thereafter, there was a geometric increase in the number of cases
Our study revealed that all the outcomes related to COVID-19 infection investigated were not randomly distributed
Summary
An outbreak of a new coronavirus disease that causes respiratory tract infections and can be lethal in humans began in China in December 2019. On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the current outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a pandemic [1]. This COVID-19 started spreading rapidly to other countries by the end of December 2019. South Africa and Morocco have crossed the 5 000-cases bar. They are followed by Tunisia (473,229 cases), Algeria (3 848 cases) and Egypt (282,737cases) [3].
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