Africa saw a 43% jump in reported cases of covid-19 in the past week, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a statement.
The international organization expresses great concern about the possibility that the 1.3 billion continent will become the next epicenter of the global outbreak. John Nkengasong, director of the African Union’s Disease Control and Prevention Center (Africa CDC), stressed today that Africa has a “very, very limited” testing capacity, meaning that the increase in infections by the new coronavirus is likely will be even greater.
A recent WHO report presented a bleak picture for Africa, warning that the virus could kill an additional 300,000 people and lead 30 million to poverty. Nkengasong said Africa still has time to avoid this disaster, but testing people and tracking virus cases is critical. As an example, he pointed out that estimates indicate 26,000 official cases of covid-19 in South Africa, with more than 1,200 deaths.
