Pandemic’s evolution in Africa different from other regions

Friday, August 14 will be six months since Africa reported its first Covid-19 cases.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organisation’s (WHO) regional director for Africa said the pandemic’s evolution on the African continent has been different compared to other regions.

Also read: WHO surge team arrives in Joburg to bolster SA’s response to virus (Video)

“Preliminary analysis by the organisation finds that an exponential surge in cases which peak about two to three weeks later is not occurring in Africa. Instead, many countries are experiencing a gradual rise in Covid-19 cases and it is difficult to discern a specific peak. Transmission patterns also differ between countries, but more importantly within countries.”

10 countries account for 89% (802,414) of all reported #COVID19 cases in the African Region: South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar & Senegal. South Africa accounts for more than half. pic.twitter.com/7s4nlfMiX9

— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) August 13, 2020

Listen to the audio here

At the onset, Covid-19 mainly affected capital cities. The virus is now moving from high density urban areas to informal settlements and then onward to rural areas that have a lower population density.

“In Africa, curbing Covid-19 is a marathon and not a sprint,” Moeti.

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“We are observing multiple local outbreaks each with their own infection patterns and peaks. It is by bolstering the response at the community level that we will win this race. The Covid-19 response must be integrated into the fabric of every health district.”

She said production of oxygen, critical for severely ill patients, has increased, with the number of oxygen plants in the region rising to 119 from 68 at the onset, while the number of oxygen concentrators has more than doubled to over 6 000.

“A recent WHO assessment based on self-reporting by 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa found that the countries improved their capacity to respond to Covid-19,” said Moeti.

WHO measured countries’ readiness in a range of areas including coordination, surveillance, laboratory capacity, case management, infection prevention and control.

Over 1 million confirmed #COVID19 cases on the African continent – with more than 770,000 recoveries & more than 24,000 deaths cumulatively.

View country figures & more with the WHO African Region COVID-19 Dashboard: https://t.co/V0fkK8dYTg pic.twitter.com/HR7N3i2MI8

— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) August 13, 2020

“Six months ago, the score was 62 per cent and now it is 78 per cent. While much progress appears to have been made at the national level, at the district level countries are generally lagging behind. The scores for coordination (38 per cent), infection prevention and control (46 per cent) and clinical care for patients (47 per cent) are all particularly low at the district level.”

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Last week, the first members of a surge team arrived in South Africa.

“WHO is also increasing support to other countries that have requested urgent assistance by mobilizing more technical experts on the ground and by scaling up training to build local capacity, particularly at the provincial and district level.”

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