Covid-19 Pandemic In Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Africa on 14 February 2020, with the first confirmed case announced in Egypt. The first confirmed case in sub-Saharan Africa was announced in Nigeria at the end of February. Within three months, the virus had spread throughout the continent, as Lesotho, the last African sovereign state to have remained free of the virus, reported a case on 13 May. By 26 May, it appeared that most African countries were experiencing community transmission, although testing capacity was limited. Most of the identified imported cases arrived from Europe and the United States rather than from China where the virus originated. It is believed that there is widespread under-reporting in many African countries with less developed healthcare systems.
Experts have worried about COVID-19 spreading to Africa, because many of the healthcare systems on the continent are inadequate, having problems such as lack of equipment, lack of funding, insufficient training of healthcare workers, and inefficient data transmission. It was feared that the pandemic could be difficult to keep under control in Africa, and could cause huge economic problems if it spread widely. As of 18 April 2020, the supply of ventilators was low in much of Africa: 41 countries had only 2,000 ventilators between them, and ten countries had no ventilators at all. Even basic supplies like soap and water are subject to shortages in parts of the continent.
Matshidiso Moeti of the World Health Organization said that hand washing and physical distancing could be challenging in some places in Africa. Lockdown may not be possible, and challenges may be exacerbated by the prevalence of diseases such as malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis, and cholera. Advisers say that a strategy based on testing could allow African countries to minimise lockdowns that inflict enormous hardship on those who depend on income earned per day to be able to feed themselves and their families. Despite this, there is an increased risk of famine in several African nations. Even in the best scenario, the United Nations says 74 million test kits and 30,000 ventilators will be needed by the continent's 1.3 billion people in 2020. The World Health Organization helped many countries on the continent set up laboratories for COVID-19 testing. Matshidiso Moeti of the WHO said: "We need to test, trace, isolate and treat". Many preventive measures have been implemented in different countries in Africa, including travel restrictions, flight cancellations, event cancellations, school closures, and border closures. Experts say that experience battling Ebola helped some countries prepare for COVID-19.
By the second week of June, Africa had surpassed 200,000 cases in total. The number of confirmed new cases is accelerating, with the continent having taken 98 days to record the first 100,000 cases, and 18 days for the second 100,000. The pace of acceleration has continued, with cases passing both the 300,000 and 400,000 marks on 6 July. On 8 July 2020, cases had exceeded half a million. Half of the 500,000 cases reported in the continent are from South Africa or Egypt. Ten countries account for 80% of the reported cases. The World Health Organization voiced alarm at the spread in Africa on 20 July 2020, stating that South Africa's surging numbers could be a precursor for further outbreaks across the continent. The number exceeded a million by 6 August, with five countries making up over 75% of the total confirmed cases: South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia and Nigeria. The true case numbers are believed to be significantly higher than the confirmed counts, due to low testing rates in many African countries. The mortality rates of African countries, however, are relatively low compared to Europe due to the younger age of their populations. On 21 August the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) expressed "cautious optimism" as the number of new cases took a downturn, while warning against complacency. In some countries, the number of cases began to rise. On 29 October, John Nkengasong, the head of Africa CDC, said: "The time to prepare for a second wave is truly now."
The pandemic has had a serious economic impact in African countries, damaging the continent's growing middle class and threatening to increase the rates of poverty and extreme poverty. There are also lessons such as early travel bans, well-organised contact tracers, etc. that need training, as they are critical for containment of the pandemic. As of September 9, Morocco and Ethiopia have increasing cases in the continent.
On November 12, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that confirmed cases have been increasing since July, particularly in North Africa (Tunisia, Morocco and Libya). The curve has flattened in South Africa and Kenya, while Senegal and Equatorial Guinea have seen a steady decline.
New strains of the virus were found in December 2020 in South Africa and Nigeria, in addition to the Variant of Concern 202012/01 reported in the United Kingdom in September.
The African Union has secured close to 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in the largest such agreement yet for Africa, it was announced on January 13, 2021. This is independent of the global Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (COVAX) effort aimed at distributing COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income countries.
Statistics
Total confirmed cases by country
Daily cases for the most infected African countries:
Total confirmed cases since Day 1 of Outbreak
The number of active cases by country.
Confirmed cases by country and territory
| Country | Confirmed cases | Active confirmed cases | Recoveries | Deaths | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 South Africa
|
1,325,659 | 204,830 | 1,083,978 | 36,851 | |
 Morocco
|
458,865 | 17,017 | 433,937 | 7,911 | |
 Tunisia
|
177,231 | 43,761 | 127,854 | 5,616 | |
 Egypt
|
155,507 | 24,689 | 122,291 | 8,527 | |
 Ethiopia
|
130,772 | 12,698 | 116,045 | 2,029 | |
 Nigeria
|
108,943 | 22,156 | 85,367 | 1,420 | |
 Libya
|
108,017 | 21,298 | 85,068 | 1,651 | |
 Algeria
|
103,611 | 30,407 | 70,373 | 2,831 | |
 Kenya
|
99,082 | 14,030 | 83,324 | 1,728 | |
 Ghana
|
56,981 | 1,404 | 55,236 | 341 | |
 Uganda
|
38,085 | 24,698 | 13,083 | 304 | |
 Zambia
|
36,074 | 10,431 | 25,106 | 537 | |
 Namibia
|
30,198 | 3,450 | 26,468 | 280 | |
 Cameroon
|
28,010 | 694 | 26,861 | 455 | |
 Zimbabwe
|
26,881 | 10,326 | 15,872 | 683 | |
 Mozambique
|
25,862 | 7,113 | 18,515 | 234 | |
 Sudan
|
25,730 | 8,914 | 15,240 | 1,576 | |
 Ivory Coast
|
24,856 | 1,611 | 23,104 | 141 | |
 Senegal
|
22,738 | 3,177 | 19,052 | 509 | |
 Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
20,692 | 5,259 | 14,804 | 630 | |
 Angola
|
18,765 | 2,109 | 16,225 | 431 | |
 Madagascar
|
18,001 | 287 | 17,447 | 267 | |
 Botswana
|
17,365 | 3,775 | 13,519 | 71 | |
 Mauritania
|
15,999 | 1,167 | 14,431 | 401 | |
 Guinea
|
14,098 | 697 | 13,320 | 81 | |
 Cape Verde
|
12,901 | 648 | 12,134 | 119 | |
 Eswatini
|
12,736 | 4,300 | 8,076 | 360 | |
 Malawi
|
11,785 | 5,493 | 5,992 | 300 | |
 Rwanda
|
10,850 | 3,517 | 7,193 | 140 | |
 Gabon
|
9,899 | 175 | 9,658 | 66 | |
 Réunion
|
9,446 | 348 | 9,053 | 45 | |
 Burkina Faso
|
9,000 | 1,797 | 7,102 | 101 | |
 Mali
|
7,823 | 1,984 | 5,531 | 308 | |
 Republic of the Congo
|
7,709 | 1,749 | 5,846 | 114 | |
| Mayotte
|
6,611 | 3,589 | 2,964 | 58 | |
 Lesotho
|
6,371 | 4,643 | 1,635 | 93 | |
 Djibouti
|
5,903 | 26 | 5,816 | 61 | |
 Equatorial Guinea
|
5,356 | 81 | 5,189 | 86 | |
 Central African Republic
|
4,973 | 25 | 4,885 | 63 | |
 Somalia
|
4,744 | 948 | 3,666 | 130 | |
 Togo
|
4,272 | 436 | 3,763 | 73 | |
 Niger
|
4,132 | 1,043 | 2,951 | 138 | |
 Gambia
|
3,897 | 81 | 3,689 | 127 | |
 South Sudan
|
3,670 | 426 | 3,181 | 63 | |
 Benin
|
3,413 | 122 | 3,245 | 46 | |
 Sierra Leone
|
2,970 | 868 | 2,025 | 77 | |
 Chad
|
2,855 | 637 | 2,107 | 111 | |
 Guinea-Bissau
|
2,478 | 33 | 2,400 | 45 | |
 Liberia
|
1,887 | 102 | 1,701 | 84 | |
 Eritrea
|
1,877 | 798 | 1,073 | 6 | |
 Comoros
|
1,577 | 467 | 1,069 | 41 | |
 Burundi
|
1,185 | 410 | 773 | 2 | |
 São Tomé and Príncipe
|
1,130 | 120 | 993 | 17 | |
 Seychelles
|
696 | 169 | 525 | 2 | |
 Mauritius
|
547 | 21 | 516 | 10 | |
 Tanzania
|
509 | 305 | 183 | 21 | |
 Western Sahara
|
10 | 1 | 8 | 1 | |
| Totals | 3,251,235 | 511,357 | 2,661,465 | 78,413 |
Algeria
The first case in the country was confirmed on 25 February. On the morning of 2 March, Algeria confirmed two new cases of the coronavirus, a woman and her daughter.
On 3 March, Algeria reported another two new cases of the coronavirus. The two new cases were from the same family, a father and daughter, and were living in France.
On 4 March, the Ministry of Health recorded 4 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, all from the same family, bringing the total number to 12 confirmed cases.
According to WHO prediction modelling estimates Algeria faces a relatively high risk for a spread of COVID-19 if containment measures such as contact tracing are not prioritized.
Angola
On 21 March, the first two cases in the country were confirmed. Effective 20 March, all Angolan borders have been closed for 15 days.
As of 18 April 2020, there was a total of 19 confirmed cases, 2 deaths and 6 recovered cases.
Benin
On 16 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.
As of 18 April 2020, there was a total of 35 confirmed cases, 1 death and 18 recovered cases.
Botswana
On 30 March, the first three cases in Botswana were confirmed.
Burkina Faso
On 9 March, the first two cases in the country were reported in Burkina Faso.
On 13 March, the third case was also confirmed, a person who had had direct contact with the first two cases.
As of March 14, 2020, a total of 7 cases have been confirmed in the country. 5 of the new confirmed cases had had direct contact with the first two cases. 1 is an English national employed at a gold mine in the country who vacationed in Liverpool and came back on March 10, transiting through Vancouver and Paris.
As of 18 April 2020 there was a total of 557 confirmed cases, 35 deaths and 294 recovered cases.
Burundi
On 31 March, the first two cases in the country were confirmed. The President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, died during the pandemic; officially he died of a heart attack, but it is speculated that he may have died from COVID-19 with members of his family also reported to have contracted the disease.
Cameroon
On 6 March the first case was confirmed in Cameroon. According to WHO prediction modelling estimates Cameroon faces a relatively high risk for a spread of COVID-19 if containment measures such as contact tracing are not prioritized.
Cameroon reported 27,336 total cases, 1,993 active cases, and 451 total deaths on 13 January 2021. This is 17 deaths per one million population.
Cape Verde
On 20 March, the first case in the country was confirmed, a 62 year old from the United Kingdom.
Central African Republic
On 14 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.
Chad
On 19 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.
Comoros
As a preventive measure, arriving travellers were to be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival. In order to prevent the spread of the virus, the government has cancelled all incoming flights and banned large gatherings. On 15 April 2020, a person arriving in Mayotte from the Comoros tested positive for COVID-19.
On 30 April, the first case was confirmed in the Comoros. On 4 May, the first death was announced. 54 people had been tested, and 53 contacts had been traced.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
On 10 March, the first case was reported in the country.
Republic of the Congo
The country's first case was announced on 14 March, a 50-year-old man who had returned to the Republic of the Congo from Paris, France.
Djibouti
On 18 March, the first case in Djibouti was confirmed.
Egypt
Egypt's health ministry announced the first case in the country at Cairo International Airport involving a Chinese national on 14 February.
On 6 March, the Egyptian Health Ministry and WHO confirmed 12 new cases of coronavirus infection. The infected persons were among the Egyptian staff aboard the Nile cruise ship MS River Anuket, which was travelling from Aswan to Luxor. On 7 March 2020, health authorities announced that 45 people on board had tested positive, and that the ship had been placed in quarantine at a dock in Luxor.
Egypt reported 152,719 total cases, 24,045 active cases, and 8,362 total deaths on 13 January 2021. This is 81 deaths per one million population.
In January 2021, the relative of a 62-year-old Covid-19 patient who died in Egypt’s El Husseineya Central Hospital due to the shortage of oxygen posted a video of the hospital on Facebook. The video that showed the medical staff in distress, resuscitating a man with the help of a manual ventilator went viral on the Internet, inviting global attention concerning the government’s shortcomings in handling the pandemic. Four patients had died that day and the official statement issued by the hospital concluded that the patients suffered “complications”, denying “any connection” of their deaths with the shortage of oxygen. An investigation led by the New York Times found otherwise in which statements given during interviews by both, the patients’ relatives, as well as the medical staff, confirmed the cause of death as deprivation of oxygen.
Equatorial Guinea
On 14 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.
Eritrea
On 20 March, the first case in Eritrea was confirmed.
Eswatini
On 14 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.
Ethiopia
The country's first case was announced on 13 March, a Japanese man who had arrived in the country on 4 March from Burkina Faso. Three additional cases of the virus were reported on March 15. The three individuals had close contact with the person who was reported to be infected by the virus on 13 March . Since then eight more confirmed cases were reported by the health ministry to the public, bringing the total to twelve. Among the infected individuals an elderly Ethiopian in her eighties has been said to have some escalating symptoms while other eight have been on a recovery route and showing fewer symptoms of the disease. On March 27, another statement was issued by the health minister stating that four additional cases have been identified while one case being in the Adama city of the Oromia regional state and the other three being in Addis Ababa. Moreover, three more cases were confirmed by the Health Minister on March 31, 2020. Similarly, the following day another three cases were added. On the previous press release the government authorities had noted that one case was retested and confirmed negative and two of the confirmed cases have been sent to their country (Japan). In aggregate, twenty-nine cases are confirmed so far as of 1 April 2020. On April 3, 2020 due to further tests made, six additional cases have been discovered moving up the tally to thirty-five. Measures are being taken by the government and the community together strictly to suppress