WHO warns pandemic “accelerating” in Africa

cde.news desk 11 June 2020, 18:45 · 1 min read

A man (C), wearing a face masks walks next to a graffiti mural depicting a nurse trying to hold back coronavirus with a chain trying to stop it from pulling the planet earth that is trying to run away from it painted by an art group known as Art360, in the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya. EPA-EFE/Daniel Irungu

The coronavirus pandemic is “accelerating” in Africa, spreading from capital cities where it arrived with travellers, but it does not appear that severe cases and deaths are being missed, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

Ten countries are driving Africa’s epidemic, accounting for 75% of the some 200,000 cases on the continent which has 5,000 deaths, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Africa regional director, told a Geneva briefing. South Africa accounts for a quarter of cases.

Over 207,000 confirmed #COVID19 cases on the African continent – with more than 94,000 recoveries & 5,600 deaths. View country figures & more with the WHO African Region COVID-19 Dashboard: https://t.co/V0fkK8dYTg pic.twitter.com/WZZuo2XIaf

— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) June 11, 2020

“We believe that large numbers of severe cases and deaths are not being missed in Africa,” she said. “One of the biggest challenges in Africa continues be availability of supplies, particularly test kits.”

Via Reuters

Filed under Africa Coronavirus World Health Organization (WHO)

Topics Africa Coronavirus WHO

WHO warns pandemic “accelerating” in Africa

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