Three months after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in sub-Saharan Africa, the region has made progress in tackling the virus. Many countries implemented lockdowns and key public health measures early, and these appear to have helped slow down the spread of the coronavirus.
However, there are concerns that if these measures are relaxed too quickly, COVID-19 cases could start to increase rapidly.
“We are seeing some rapid increases compared to two weeks ago. Reported cases have tripled in five countries and doubled in ten countries, noting that most countries still have fewer than 1,000 reported cases,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa.
253pc
Margin by which cases in Burkina Faso rose after it implemented a lockdown.
It took 36 days to reach 1,000 reported cases of COVID-19 on the continent. In 62 days, 100,000 cases were reported, Moeti told an online media briefing hosted by the World Economic Forum.
So far, a number of countries have begun easing their lockdowns, and, according to WHO’s initial analysis, the impact on doubling time – the number of days for case numbers to double in a given country – appears to be varying depending on the timing and duration of the confinement measures.
For example, Burkina Faso started implementing a partial lockdown of 17 days after the notification of its first confirmed case and recorded an increase in the number of cases during the lockdown period by 253%. The confinement measures were implemented for 38 days and resulted in a significant reduction of its daily new cases.
“However, we are not letting our guard down and we cannot be complacent,” she added. “We all have roles to play and must be ready for a long fight against COVID-19.” Moeti called for solidarity and a strong focus against the prevention of the virus through social distancing and sanitation. (
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