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Healthcare workers prepare for COVID-19 testing in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood, Cape Town, South Africa, April 8, 2020 as South Africa got stuck trying to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Photo AP
Why global citizens should care
As the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, coronavirus cases are starting to rise again in some African countries, and the Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC) warns governments should step up preparations.
In October, COVID-19 cases increased by an average of 45% per week in Kenya; 19% in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and 8% in Egypt, Dr John Nkengasong, head of the organization run by the African Union, told CNN.
According to CDC Africa data reported by the BBC, new cases on the continent increased by 13% from the previous week of the week through November 8, while new deaths increased by 18% from the previous week. Countries like Morocco, Tunisia, Cape Verde and Botswana also showed the highest average number of new cases per capita.
More populous countries such as Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have also seen increases; with Nigerian health minister, Osagie Enahire, voicing concerns about a second wave of COVID-19, with cases in Nigeria now exceeding 65,000.
South Africa, Africa’s second largest economy, has had the highest recorded number of total cases and reported deaths in Africa since the start of the pandemic. New above-average cases have been reported in the Free State, Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces in the past two weeks.
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Africa, with a population of 1.3 billion, has reported fewer cases and deaths than the rest of the world, and while experts say the continent’s relatively young population and low levels of obesity and type 2 diabetes may be responsible, WHO says test levels are still low in Africa compared to other regions.
“Most African countries focus on testing travelers, patients or contacts and we estimate that a significant number of cases are still missing,” Matshidiso Moeti, WHO director for Africa, told the BBC. Only 10 African countries are responsible for 75% of the total COVID-19 tests carried out on the continent: South Africa, Morocco, Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon, Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana.
There are extreme variations in testing rates, however, with South Africa conducting the most tests and Nigeria doing relatively few per capita, according to Our World in Data, a UK-based project that collects COVID information. 19.
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“The time to prepare for a second wave is really now,” Nkengasong told CNN, advising governments “not to go into fatigue prevention mode.”
In its October 21 update on Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) encouraged member states to “observe all precautionary measures diligently and completely”. Africa has so far recorded more than 2 million cases of COVID-19, with over 48,000 deaths.
Launched in April by seven global partners, ACT-Accelerator is a unique coalition aimed at accelerating global efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic. Its members are working together to develop tests, treatments and vaccines as quickly as possible while strengthening even the most fragile health systems in the world.
But the organization is in dire need of financial support from governments around the world. You can join us in inviting world leaders to fund ACT-Accelerator by taking actionHere.
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