Red Alert

Africa locks down in preparation of the COVID-19 pandemic

- Hu Fan

After Sao Tome and Principe con-firmed its first four COVID-19 cases on April 6, there were only two countries left in Africa that had zero confirmed cases: Comoros and Lesotho.

In the African countries with positive cases, the numbers continued to climb. By April 16, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco each reported over 2,000 cases, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with a combined death toll from the pandemic reaching 910 and confirmed cases reaching 17,247 across the continent.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also warned of the rapid spread of COVID19 to rural parts of Africa, hence threatening to put a strain on an already fragile health care infrastructure.

“Tackling cases in rural areas that often lack the resources of urban centers will pose an immense challenge for the already strained health systems in Africa,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, on April 9.