The Delta variant roams the Indian Ocean and threatens Madagascar. It was discovered in Réunion and Mauritius, so the Malagasy government has decided to extend the border closure indefinitely to protect the country. According to the ongoing sequence on the island, the variant has not been discovered in the territory, but the authorities are preparing for this eventuality.
as reported from Antananarivo, Laure Verneau
Madagascar can sequence the strains to detect the Delta variant. According to André Spiegel, head of the Pasteur Institute in Antananarivo, the organization can sequence 25 strains per week. “We sent samples twice to Paris, just to increase our capacity,” he explains.
Institut Pasteur has been sequencing strains since March. The results are sent only to the Malagasy authorities, who then communicate to the public.
Officially, therefore, there is no Delta variant in Madagascar’s territory and the epidemic remains stable. The number of hospital cases is decreasing, as are confirmed serious cases. There are about twenty of them at the three main hospitals in the capital, according to a doctor who prefers to remain anonymous.
The Ministry of Health stated a few days ago that strategies already existed for dealing with the Delta variant without specifying which ones.
The Delta variant is 30 to 60% more contagious than other variants, according to the World Health Organization, which indicates that it exists in 16 African countries.
►Read also: Covid-19: what are the variants circulating in Africa?
.
