Public hospitals in Madagascar are reported to have reached full capacity and will only admit patients with severe coronavirus symptoms as cases rise within the Indian Ocean island nation.

The Bloomberg news portal reports that five public hospitals in Antananarivo, the capital, have already announced that they can no longer cope with patient inflows.

The government has opened a 400-bed treatment center for people with moderate symptoms, and is importing around 1,000 machines of oxygen.

President Andry Rajoelina re-imposed a lockdown on the central region of the country following a spike of new cases earlier this month. The measure extends with further directions awaited until July 26.

As for those who don’t get tested and eventuallly die at home, they will not be included in official statistics, the spokeswoman of the country’s Covid-19 Command Center, Hanta Marie Danielle Vololontiana, said last week.

The number of confirmed cases in Madagascar reached 7,153 on Monday, including 62 deaths.

The country became popular when President Rajoelina launched a local herbal remedy called "Covid Organics" or CVO back in April, which he says can prevent and cure the novel Coronavirus.