On Friday, six
African countries – Ethiopia, Kenya, Guinea, Sudan, Mauritania and Eswatini - reported their first confirmed
coronavirus cases. As it stands, a third (19 countries) of Africa’s countries
have confirmed cases. The coronavirus epidemic has already recorded 140,000
infections, with 5,000 of those dying. The following African countries have
reported coronavirus cases: Morocco,
Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Democratic
Republic of Congo, South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea,
Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mauritania and Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland).
As the novel coronavirus
spreads in Africa, concerns about the continent’s ability to contain the
disease grow. Health experts believe Africa’s hospitals may not be adequately prepared
to care for large numbers of people who may need intensive care and
ventilators. However, the number of cases in most of the affected African
countries are still in single figures, with majority of the cases imported. The
World Health Organization reports that people who develop mild illness from the
coronavirus recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness
may take three to six weeks to recover.
Augustin Augier,
executive director of the non-governmental organization the Alliance for
International Medical Action, known as ALIMA said: “The
worries are very high because in a certain number of countries, particularly in
sub-Saharan Africa, the health systems are already weak ... so if the outbreak
is happening as well in these areas, we can expect a much higher mortality rate
than in Europe or Asia.”
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