Even if the situation begins to be alarming, for the World Health Organization (WHO) nothing is yet decided in Africa as for the evolution of the pandemic of Covid-19. The organization was indeed alarmed Friday of the rapid progression of the coronavirus on the continent, while believing that at this stage it could still be contained.
Uncertain number of cases
"Over the past week, there has been a 51% increase in the number of cases recorded on my own continent, Africa, and a 60% increase in the number of deaths recorded," said the director general of WHO, Ethiopian Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "Given the difficulty of obtaining diagnostic kits, it is likely that the real numbers will be higher," he even warned.
However, "today we don't think the disease has passed the stage of being contained," said Michael Ryan, director of emergency programs at WHO. Africa can take advantage of "real capacities" to achieve this with a "long history of fighting epidemics, a solid program against polio", he stressed while recognizing "constraints", linked in particular to the habitat, often dense and in precarious hygienic conditions or with limited water access.
Concurrently with Washington, the World Bank and the IMF indicated that the continent was missing 44 billion dollars to fight against the pandemic. Official and private creditors have raised or could raise up to $ 70 billion, but Africa needs $ 114 billion, according to these institutions.
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