Best Weapon Against A Common Health Enemy

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared the new Coronavirus a pandemic. Since then, the death toll has risen to over a million. Even worse, the highest number of victims has come from countries with the best ever health infrastructure and equipment. Member-countries of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States, CEMAC have suffered the brunt of the pandemic. The current chair of the Conference of CEMAC Heads of State, President Paul Biya addressed the issue in his speech on the occasion of the 12th CEMAC Day on 16 March, 2021.

Such scary figures of deaths and the continuous grief that the disease is inflicting on families across the globe have led scientists to spend sleepless nights to produce on record time several vaccines. The ultimate goal is to enable communities and families return to normal life. Although health experts keep saying that there will be a new normal after the pandemic, meaning that certain habits imposed by the virus may come to stay, the bottom line is that the illness must not be allowed to dominate life forever.

Like in the past, many people have often focused on the negative effects of certain health care solutions, creating doubts about scientific options that exist. Understandably, the sudden and unexpected nature of the Covid-19, the numerous incoherencies surrounding the pandemic, and the constantly evolving nature of the virus, has kept many people confused. Added to these is the conflicting scientific evidence on the origin of the disease and the efficacy of proposed vaccines.
The ongoing debates have however not helped in reducing the number of people dying from Coronavirus. It means something must be done to stop the spread. For the time being, vaccines are however being presented as the best way out. Since the outbreak of the disease, several preventive measures have been put in place by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and various governments worldwide. But that does not seem to be the magic solution. President Paul Biya in his statement to CEMAC member States was therefore quick to point out that; “Besides these measures, vaccination is undoubtedly the most effective way to achieve collective immunity and check the spread of the pandemic for good. From this viewpoint, I think that it is necessary for our countries to take full advantage of the COVAC mechanism in order ...