OP 29 May, 2020 - 02:11 PM
Africa registered a 43 per cent jump in reported COVID-19 cases in the last week.
The news highlights a warning from the World Health Organisation that the continent of 1.3 billion could become the next epicentre of the global outbreak.
Africa also has a “very, very limited” and “very, very strained” testing capacity, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention John Nkengasong said.
The surge in infections on the continent is almost certainly under-reported and even higher in reality, medical experts says.
WHO’s recent report painted a grim picture for Africa, one of the last continents to be hit by the pandemic.
WHO warned the virus could kill more than 300,000 people and push 30 million into desperate poverty.
Africa still has time to avert such a disaster, Mr Nkengasong said, but testing people and tracing virus cases will be critical.
“It all depends on what we are discussing here, which is, are you testing? Are you finding the cases? Are you isolating and tracking the contacts?” Nkengasong said, adding that the WHO report “is not a prediction that means it must happen.”
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The news highlights a warning from the World Health Organisation that the continent of 1.3 billion could become the next epicentre of the global outbreak.
Africa also has a “very, very limited” and “very, very strained” testing capacity, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention John Nkengasong said.
The surge in infections on the continent is almost certainly under-reported and even higher in reality, medical experts says.
WHO’s recent report painted a grim picture for Africa, one of the last continents to be hit by the pandemic.
WHO warned the virus could kill more than 300,000 people and push 30 million into desperate poverty.
Africa still has time to avert such a disaster, Mr Nkengasong said, but testing people and tracing virus cases will be critical.
“It all depends on what we are discussing here, which is, are you testing? Are you finding the cases? Are you isolating and tracking the contacts?” Nkengasong said, adding that the WHO report “is not a prediction that means it must happen.”
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