Coronavirus pandemic is increasing fast in Africa, WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that coronavirus pandemic is increasing in rural areas in Africa as international travelers came in the capital cities.

However, WHO said that there is no indication that the virus has led to infections in refugee camps in Africa, or a large number of severe cases and deaths were being neglected.

According to the international news agency, the WHO’s Africa regional director said that ten countries in the continent have been affected.

Seventy-five percent of some 207,600 cases on the continent and around 5,000 deaths have been confirmed.

She said that South Africa has a quarter of all cases and is affected the most. South Africa has eased lockdown last month.

During a news briefing for Geneva-based UN correspondents, she said, “Even though these cases in Africa account for less than three percent of the global total, it’s clear that the pandemic is accelerating,” “We believe that large numbers of severe cases and deaths are not being missed in Africa.”

Moeti said that Africa’s population young and several countries have created “point of entry” screening measures against Ebola fever. these factors have limited the impact of coronavirus.

But she also said that poor families have been affected because of lockdown and market closures.

She said that a great number of daily infections and deaths are reported in Eastern Cape and Western Cape. “Specifically in the Western Cape where we are seeing a majority of cases and deaths, the trend seems to be similar to what was happening in Europe and in the US.”

Moeti added that a shortage of testing kits remains a challenge in Africa. The continent is expected to see an increase with hotspots requiring strong public health and social distancing measures.