Africa at 'pivotal moment' as virus cases rise: WHO
Africa faces "a pivotal moment" in its fight against the coronavirus as cases and deaths rise after eased lockdowns and travel curbs, the regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday, AFP reports.
Over the past month, there has been a seven percent average increase in weekly Covid-19 cases across the continent and an eight percent average increase in weekly deaths, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
"Indeed, we are at a pivotal moment in the pandemic in Africa. While the continent has experienced a downward trend in its epidemic curve during the past three months, this decline has plateaued," Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's Africa director, told a press conference.
Despite early worries that the pandemic would devastate the region, the African Union's 55 member states have so far recorded around 1.6 million cases, representing just 4.2 percent of the global total, according to the Africa CDC.
Its roughly 39,000 deaths represent 3.6 percent of the global total.
Many countries imposed punishing lockdowns and restricted travel for extended periods, measures they would be hard-pressed to reinstate in response to a resurgence, said John Nkengasong, the Africa CDC's director.
"We are seeing what is going on in Europe as they ease their lockdown, how the numbers of new cases have increased and several countries are considering a second lockdown. We cannot afford that," Nkengasong said.
"We cannot allow this virus to erode the gains we have made over the last couple of months since the beginning of the pandemic."
South Africa accounts for nearly half the continent's cases.
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