Steady rise in coronavirus cases worries many Guineans

Guineans are bracing themselves for another epidemic as coronavirus cases steadily increase in the West African state.

Only a few years after the painful Ebola outbreak which killed more than 2,500 Guineans, the country is taking the necessary actions to curb the spread of the new deadly virus.

Guinea reported its first case in in mid-March - since then, its case numbers have risen steadily, but seemingly more slowly than in many other parts of the world.

There are now just over 3,000 confirmed cases and 18 deaths in Guinea, according to latest figures by Johns Hopkins University.

The country's healthcare system is dangerously weak, with too few intensive care beds available to meet the country's needs at the best of times.

Fatmata Binta Camara runs a small market stall with her husband on the edge of capital Conakry.

The experience of the last Ebola outbreak has led them to take the new new virus threat seriously.

"It's important to respect the instructions we are given and also to instill them in our children," Fatmata said, "if we don't respect them, we will be risking ourselves and find ourselves again in a situation where we're going to lose a lot of loved ones."

Fatmata's husband Fode Abass Camara lost 13 members of his family to Ebola.

Guinea has seen some unrest over mosque closures and travel restrictions, and evening curfews and business closures have made life increasingly difficult.

The stakes are particularly high in West Africa, where countries with fewer hospitals and ventilators have been prioritizing disease prevention as a public health strategy.