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South Africa has sounded the alarm over the resurgence of Covid-19 infection amid warnings that the entire continent is not prepared to launch a vaccine.
In the past week, the country has recorded between 2,000 and 3,000 cases per day, with infections reaching 3,250 on Wednesday and 118 deaths.
New cases in the Western Cape, the area surrounding South Africa’s second largest city and Cape Town’s main tourist destination, increased by 52%.
Hospitalizations have also more than doubled, said the leader of the Western Cape province, Premier Alan Winde. “My biggest concern is for our healthcare platform, which is under increasing pressure,” Premier Winde said. “We need to ensure that every person gets health care when they need it.”
South Africa is the most affected country on the continent. More than 775,500 people have contracted Covid-19 and more than 21,200 have died, despite the imposition of one of the toughest blockades in the world and a huge blow to its economy. The restrictions eased in September, but a second block is considered unlikely due to the huge economic cost of the first.
The warnings from South Africa come when the World Health Organization warned that many countries in Africa are not ready to distribute a vaccine.
Several manufacturers have recently published encouraging results on the effectiveness of their vaccines, but there is concern that low-income countries, including many in Africa, may not be able to access them.
Now, WHO says that even if they do manage to get the vaccine, getting vaccinations to be distributed to enough population will be a huge challenge, just as Africa is showing signs of a potential second wave.
Coronavirus cases on the continent have exceeded two million, with 50 thousand deaths.
Following a self-assessment by 40 member countries, examining planning, funding, vaccine regulations, vaccine logistics, vaccine safety and community engagement, among other things, WHO has concluded that many countries were not in a position to provide the vaccine to those who need it.
WHO has estimated that vaccine launch availability will be 33%, well below the benchmark of 80%. Less than half of African countries have identified their priority populations, WHO said, while only 12% plan to communicate with communities about the importance of receiving vaccines.
This week South Africa agreed to join the COVAX Facility, a sharing scheme led by the World Health Organization and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to ensure fair distribution of vaccines once they are available and with the aim of covering the 20% of the African population. Many other African countries are already registered.
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