The spike in Covid-19 cases in Africa is one of the fastest in the world.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, DAKAR — African deaths from Covid-19 rose 43 percent this week compared to last week amid a spike in infections and hospitalizations. The rise in death rates also comes as countries in the region are facing shortages of oxygen supplies and intensive care beds.
The WHO says the Covid-19 death rate in Africa (the proportion of deaths among confirmed cases) is currently at 2.6 percent. This figure is higher than the global average of 2.2 percent.
“Deaths have risen sharply over the past five weeks. This is a clear warning that hospitals in the most affected countries are reaching a breaking point,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in a statement. ).
The organization said Covid-19 cases on the African continent had increased for eight consecutive weeks to reach six million on July 13, 2021. The surge, according to WHO, was driven by public exhaustion of important health rules implemented to limit the spread of the virus. .
The spike was also caused by an increase in the spread of virus variants. WHO says spike in cases Covid-19 in Africa has been one of the fastest in the world as the continent posted an additional one million cases over the past month.
“This is the shortest time so far when it comes to adding one million cases. By comparison, it previously took about three months to move from four million to five million cases in mid-June,” the statement said.
source: Antara/Reuters
– .
