Africa has now recorded over 100,000 cases of coronavirus as at May 22, 2020 with over 3,000 deaths.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that the continent has now recorded 100,664 cases, 3,105 deaths, and 39,543 recoveries.
But the CDC director John Nkengasong says the number of cases reported this week was similar to the figure from last week.
He adds that with such a trend his outfit hopes “that trend continues,” with fears with infections surge, the continent could struggle to cope.
The five countries with most confirmed cases are:
- South Africa: 19,137
- Egypt: 15,003
- Algeria: 7,728
- Morocco: 7,300
- Nigeria: 7,016
#COVID19 update in Africa (As of 22 May 2020, 6 pm East Africa Time)
54 @_AfricanUnion Member States reporting 100,664 cases, 3,105 deaths, and 39,543 recoveries.
More information at https://t.co/vEZ4eupedf#COVID19 #FactsNotFear #AfricaResponds pic.twitter.com/KhKf8pY0yq— Africa CDC (@AfricaCDC) May 22, 2020
Africa is however reported to have taken early actions including lockdowns that perhaps helped prevent the disease from causing more mayhem.
UN Chief lauds Africa’s efforts
This week the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres said that Africa’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has many lessons for the rest of the world.
There have been several predictions that the continent could become the epicenter of the pandemic with many deaths.
The World Health Organization has already estimated that the coronavirus could kill between 83,000 and 190,000 people in Africa if containment measures fail in the first year of the pandemic.
It also warned that between 29 million and 44 million could also be infected in the first year.
But Africa so far has reported lower cases than initially feared and lower deaths than the rest of the world.
In an interview with the RFL radio in France Guterres was quoted as saying that “Most African governments and organisations took in time very brave prevention measures which provide a lesson for some developed nations that did not.”
In a separate statement Guterres also said “Most [African countries] have moved rapidly to deepen regional coordination, deploy health workers, and enforce quarantines, lockdowns and border closures.”
He adds that African countries “are also drawing on the experience of HIV/Aid and Ebola to debunk rumours and overcome mistrust of government, security forces and health workers.”
He adds that African countries “are also drawing on the experience of HIV/Aid and Ebola to debunk rumours and overcome mistrust of government, security forces and health workers.”
But the UN chief says it is still early days for the pandemic in Africa and international help is still needed to strengthen health systems and food supplies on the continent to avoid a financial crisis.
Source: Africafeeds.com
