Coronavirus in Africa

Coronavirus developments in Africa thus far

11 Sep, 2020

The rate of covid-19 spread is slowing down in Africa.

The daily conformed cases have dropped significantly. This is mainly attribued to the drop in numbers from the populous Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt. Rwanda, Uganda, Morocco, and Tunisia have seen a drastic rise in the number of cases.

Egypt

So far over 100,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Egypt. With schools and universities set to resume, experts fear the possibility of a second outbreak. In August, the country announced air travel restrictions including a review of health regulations. According to Egypt’s Civil Aviation Authority, incoming passengers and citizens will need to show a PCR that confirms they are negative of COVID-19.

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Coronavirus in Africa

Ghana

International flights to and from Ghana resumed on September 1. President Nana Akufo-Addo gave an order to reopen the country’s sea, air, and land borders. The order directs that all passengers show proof of being COVID-19 negative before heading to the airport.

South Africa

South Africa currently leads the continent with over 640,000 infections and closes the top seven internationally after being surpassed by Peru and Colombia. The cases currently seem to be on a decline, but the Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize urges continued caution.

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According to Mkhize, the country has changed kits testing strategy from that mass-centered during the peak, to only testing those with co-morbidities, symptoms, and contacts of those already admitted at the hospital. Two months of a nationwide lockdown crippled Africa’s most industrialized economy prompting the government to lift the restrictions in June. In August, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a sweeping removal of the lockdown restrictions arguing that the worst had already occurred. The reopening of the economy included an end to the ban of alcohol and tobacco which allowed restaurants and taverns to resume their regular operations.

09 September 2020 #COVID19 statistics in South Africa #CoronavirusSA pic.twitter.com/2lYoPS2ZEh
— Department of Health (@HealthZA) September 9, 2020

Morocco

Moroccan Covid-19 infections are closing in on 100,000 cases with the current figures exceeding 73,000. The country is grappling with an unprecedented spike in cases prompting a new lockdown in the country’s economic hub of Casablanca. All schools and colleges in the city were closed, on the day they were expected to open. Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb gave a statement to the official news agency MAP where he defended the need for “drastic measures.”

Morocco imposed a lockdown on Casablanca and shut its schools Monday, the day pupils were due to return to classes, in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19 https://t.co/PuK33MrkON
— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 7, 2020

The country has blamed the recent spike in numbers to people’s negligence to health protocols.epidemiologists also raised concerns about the country’s ability to handle the arising health cases.

#Morocco Coronavirus Cases at 72394 Persons https://t.co/5YLk1PiQL6 pic.twitter.com/fJOUeUcUlh
— Trading Economics (@tEconomics) September 7, 2020

27 semaines de COVID-19 au Maroc : Comme l'horizon, la fin de l'épidémie ressemble à une ligne imaginaire qui s'éloigne au fur et à mesure qu'on s'en approche ! https://t.co/xHQW2DPAgU
— Yvon Laizet (@laizet2) September 8, 2020

Nigeria

International flights fully resume to Nigeria as the country steers close to famine. Figures from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) indicate that confirmed cases of Covid-19 infections have exceeded 55,000 with over a thousand fatalities. All incoming passengers should carry a document that certifies they are negative of the virus. The country is also grappling with a second doctor’s strike that over poor pay and difficult working conditions. The striking workers are 16,000 resident doctors comprised of medical students, who dominate the hospital emergency wards. Part of their demands is hazard allowance and life insurance.

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Coronavirsu in Europe

Onto other news, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of an impending risk of famine and food insecurity across Northeastern Nigeria.

Ethiopia

Ethiopian coronavirus cases have now exceeded 60,000. As the number of cases keeps rising, the country announced plans to manufacture it’s own test kits with assistance from China. Africa’s second-most populous nation has exceeded over a million tests, only exceeded by Morocco and South Africa.

በለፉት 24 ሰዓታት ውስጥ በተደረገ 15,561 የላቦራቶሪ ናሙና ምርመራ 916 ሰዎች በኮሮና ቫይረስ መያዛቸው ተረጋግጧል። በአጠቃላይ እስካሁን በቫይረሱ የተያዙ ሰዎች ቁጥር 61,700 ደርሷል።
Status update on #covid19ethiopia pic.twitter.com/7aaepKe1v5
— MoH ETHIOPIA (@FMoHealth) September 9, 2020

Mozambique

Mozambique has lifted its state of emergency from the 6th of September. Authorities had earlier imposed the drastic measure to curb the spread of coronavirus. Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi used his televised address on the 4th of September to announce the reopening of the country’s borders to international flights. Beaches are expected to open and religious services will allow a maximum of 250 people. By the last count, official figures of Covid-19 have exceeded 4500.