Covid-19: Third wave ‘raging at full force’ as Africa reaches record peak in deaths – WHO

06 Aug

Covid-19: Third wave 'raging at full force' as Africa reaches record peak in deaths – WHO Lynsey Chutel 0:00 play article Subscribers can listen to this article Health workers at a hospital in quarantined Kayravan province of Tunis, Tunisia. Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Africa reached a new peak in the number of Covid-19 fatalities this week, said the World Health Organisation.
It shows no sign of decreasing, with more cases recorded than in earlier peaks.
More than half of African countries are experiencing a third wave.

The first week of August saw more than 6 400 deaths from Covid-19 recorded in Africa – a grim record for the continent.

"It's a sad day for Africa. Our hearts go out to everyone who has lost friends and loved ones," said Dr Phionah Atuhebwe, the World Health Organisation's new vaccines introduction officer for Africa.

After a slight dip in cases last week, Covid-19 cases are surging again, rising by 19% to nearly 278 000 this last week.

FACT CHECK | Your medical aid won't charge you more if you aren't vaccinated

"The third wave of the pandemic in Africa is still raging at full force," Atuhebwe said during a weekly press briefing.

The peak shows no sign of decreasing just yet.

The continent was still on the crest of a third wave and still recording more cases than in any earlier peak, she added.

READ | 'I have not seen a single vaccinated person in Covid-19 high care ward' – Groote Schuur doctor

Thirty-two countries were in a third wave, with 25 of them in a "very severe" third wave, said Dr John Nkengasong, the director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Three countries – Algeria, Kenya, and Tunisia – are experiencing a fourth wave, Nkengasong said during a briefing also held on Thursday.

READ | Covid-19: Here is govt's plan to keep primary school's safe

The CDC recorded 273 00 new cases in the last week.

Deaths

Southern Africa still has the highest number of new cases, nearly half of all new cases; still, there is a decrease in the number of deaths in the region.

South Africa accounts for a third of all cases in total.

While the average case fatality is 2.4%, Egypt, Somalia and Sudan showed a higher than average fatality rate – at 5%.

READ | Covid-19: African Union begins shipping J&J vaccines to countries

The surge is driven by variants of the coronavirus as millions of Africans continue to wait for vaccines.

The Delta variant is now present in 29 Africa countries, while the Alpha variant – first identified in the UK – is present in 39 countries. The Beta variant, first sequenced in South Africa, has been detected in 35 countries.

While vaccine shipments to Africa have increased, only a fraction of the continent's population has been inoculated. July saw 12 million vaccines arrive, more than the combined number of doses received in April, May and June.

– The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of Hanns Seidel Foundation.

Next on News24 DR Congo plane scrapes motorcyclist during landing

6h ago

Most Read For Subscribers

Newsletters

The Weekly

Newsletter editor Alet Law guides you through our most interesting and insightful stories to give you a well-rounded view of the week that was.

Sign up for a newsletter 2 scoop the Daily Lotto jackpot! Full list of lottery results Lockdown For DAYS HRS MINS PODCAST | The Story: Vaccine hesitancy may prolong Covid-19 pandemic

14 Aug

PODCAST | The Story: Is Ramaphosa reshuffling deck chairs on the Titanic?

07 Aug

Podcast series: click here to find them all

25 Jun

PODCAST | The Story: Surviving Covid-19 and unrest: – will our economy ever recover?

31 Jul

PODCAST | The Story: Why did SA's security agencies fail to avert the looting chaos?

24 Jul

PODCAST | The Story: Scenes of anarchy grip KZN and Gauteng as shops are looted and burnt down

17 Jul

Currencies Commodities Jse Indexes Rand – Dollar 14.73 -0.0% Rand – Pound 20.42 -0.0% Rand – Euro 17.37 -0.0% Rand – Aus dollar 10.86 -0.0% Rand – Yen 0.13 -0.0% Gold 1,779.68 0.0% Silver 23.74 0.0% Palladium 2,650.22 0.0% Platinum 1,030.85 0.0% Brent Crude 70.59 -1.0% Top 40 63,269 -0.0% All Share 69,385 -0.0% Resource 10 69,898 +0.3% Industrial 25 88,700 -0.3% Financial 15 13,471 +0.1% All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes FEEL GOOD | Miracle dog overcomes deadly canine parvovirus