Coronavirus: Africa facing the pandemic on Thursday, August 13

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6 min

Africa had this Thursday, August 13, 1,074,568 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The pandemic has already claimed the lives of 24,282 people on the continent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) regional office for Africa. The countries most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic are South Africa, with 568,919 cases including 11,010 deaths, Egypt, with 95,963 cases including 5,085 deaths, Nigeria, with 47,743 cases including 956 deaths, Ghana, with 41,572 including 223 deaths, or the Algeria, with 36,699 cases including 1,333 deaths.

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• The Pandemic in Africa, 6 months later

August 14 marks the 6 months since the detection of the first case of Covid-19 on the continent. The World Health Organization says that despite analyzes showing a peak in contamination at 2 to 3 weeks, UN agency teams have not observed this sudden increase in African countries.

“  Instead, many countries are experiencing a gradual increase in Covid-19 cases and it is difficult to discern a peak,  ” says WHO Regional Office Director for Africa Dr. Matshidiso Moeti.

The virus, after having contaminated the capitals of the continent, is now spreading towards the countryside.

"  In Africa, curbing the Covid-19 is a marathon, not a sprint  " added Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, who encourages African countries not to relax their efforts, while several of them have started to lift measures social distancing and confinement.

• Serological tests in seven African countries

The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) announced the launch next week of serological tests to
detect the presence of antibodies against the coronavirus.

An initiative that is part of the efforts to assess the scale of the epidemic on the continent.

“  Liberia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria and Morocco are the first countries that have signed up,  ” said Africa CDC director John Nkengasong.

To date, 9.4 million coronavirus tests have been performed on the African continent. Figures up 10% from last week, added John Nkengasong.

► To listen and to read also: Denis Mukwege: "The screening tests for the coronavirus are very important"

Despite the continent's relative isolation, experts believe its infection rate is higher than previously reported.

Africa on Thursday recorded more than a million infections and more than 24,000 deaths. Ten countries - South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar and Senegal - account for 89% of cases from the continent.

• South African mining production in great difficulty

In South Africa, mining production fell 28.2% in June from the same period last year, a consequence of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the national statistics institute (StatsSA) said.

► To listen and read also: South African mines are thinking about the future

In May, production was down 29.8% from May 2019. The drop had reached a record 47% in April, when all mines in the country except coal supplying the South African electricity giant Eskom, were closed.

"  The Covid-19 pandemic and the containment put in place from March 27 have had a considerable impact on economic activity,  " said the statistics institute. The government of the most industrialized country on the African continent ordered a very strict containment at the end of March which shut down almost all of its economy. This measure was not gradually lifted until nine weeks later.

Even though it is in decline, the mining sector still contributes 8% of national wealth and 45% of foreign exchange earnings, while employing 450,000 people. South Africa is the African country most affected by Covid-19, with more than 570,000 infections, including more than 11,000 deaths recorded to date.

Before the health crisis, the country was already mired in a crisis characterized by sluggish growth, deteriorating public finances and mass unemployment. Its economy slumped into recession in the last quarter of last year. For 2019 as a whole, its GDP grew by only 0.2%.

• Kenyan official dies of Covid-19

A high-ranking member of the Kenyan Ministry of Health has died of Covid-19, as the country has recorded a worrying increase in the number of contaminations since early July.

Kamau Mugenda was number 2 at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, which leads testing campaigns and vaccine programs in the country. Only three medical workers had died from the coronavirus in the country previously.

Kenya has seen a significant rise in the number of confirmed cases in recent weeks, despite strict measures being put in place. Cases have doubled since July 21. More than 28,000 people have now contracted the virus, placing Kenya in 7th place among the most contaminated countries on the continent. 450 people have also died from Covid-19 in the country.

Health professionals have threatened to strike to denounce the lack of available protective equipment, such as masks, coveralls and gloves.

• Namibia suspends domestic flights

Namibia has suspended all domestic flights for 18 days due to an increase in coronavirus cases in the country. The airline Air Namibia also announced that the suspension of regional flights would be extended until September 20, and that flights to Germany would resume on September 30 with the reopening of borders.

To date, 3,406 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 22 deaths have been recorded in the country.

Our selection on the coronavirus

• Listen to our Coronavirus Info column 

• Our  explanations  :
→  What we know about the mode of contagion
→  Disparities and inequalities in the face of the coronavirus
→  Triple therapy, Discovery… update on research
→  Remdesivir, antibodies and immunity
→  The vaccine race is in full swing
→  How to make a mask and use it well

• Our series  :
→ “  The response, country by country  ”
→ “  Nurses  ' words ”

• After Covid-19, towards a new world?

• See also the records of RFI Knowledge on Covid-19
→  Birth of a pandemic
→  Daily proof
→  The history of epidemics
→  Science facing Covid-19
→  The geopolitical consequences

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