COVID-19: UpdateCOVID-19 Activity Escalating in Africa, Middle East

Though Latin America has evolved as the world’s biggest hot spot, COVID-19 activity is escalating in other regions, including Africa, which just passed 200,000 cases, and the Middle East, where cases have accelerated over the past 3 weeks.

The global today rose to 7,440,350 cases, and 418,563 people have died from their infections, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.

Mixed Picture in Africa
In an e-mail statement today, the World Health Organization (WHO) regional office for Africa said the virus was first detected on the continent in the middle of February, and it took 98 days to reach 100,000 cases. However, the total climbed from 100,000 to 200,000 in just 18 days.

However, not all countries are equally affected, and just 10 of 54 countries are pushing the recent increase in cases and have reported 80 percent of the illnesses. CIDRAP notes that most of the deaths are also concentrated in a limited number of countries, with 70 percent of the region’s fatalities reported from just five: Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, and Sudan.

South Africa is the region’s hardest-hit country, accounting for 25 percent of cases, with Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces reporting most of the infections.

Half of Africa’s countries are reporting community transmission, and though most virus activity is concentrated in major cities, health officials have reported spread into the provinces.

Matshidiso Moeti, MBBS, regional office director, said for now, Africa accounts for a fraction of the world’s cases, but the pace of spread is quickening. “Swift and early action by African countries has helped to keep numbers low but constant vigilance is needed to stop COVID-19 from overwhelming health facilities,” Moeti said.

She said many countries were quick to order lockdowns and undertake key public health measures, which slowed the spread of the virus but took a heavy toll, especially on vulnerable communities. Countries are now easing lockdowns, and she urged them to take a controlled approach while ensuring that widespread testing and contact tracing is in place.

Moeti also encouraged countries to maintain essential health services and resume routine health services while easing lockdowns.

Mideast Rise Led by Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia
Meanwhile, cases in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region have climbed to nearly 670,000, along with about 15,000 deaths, and make up about 10 percent of the world’s total, the regional office said yesterday in a statement.