Coronavirus: Africa and the pandemic on Saturday April 25

Text by: RFI Follow

Africa counted this Saturday April 25 29,488 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The Covid-19 has already claimed the lives of 1,343 people on the continent, according to the African Union Center for Disease Prevention and Control. 8,817 sick people are cured. South Africa and Egypt remain the two most affected countries, and each pass the barrier of 4,000 cases this Saturday.

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• Coronavirus Crisis May Make Malaria Struggle

228 million cases in 2018, more than 400,000 deaths, 90% of them in Africa ... This Saturday marks the international day for the fight against malaria, a disease very present on the continent: 93% of cases and 94% of deaths are recorded in Africa. And in 2020, the number of malaria victims in the world could drop from 400,000 to 700,000, predicts the WHO. The reason ? Prevention programs could suffer from the Covid-19 pandemic .

Benin, which has 54 cases of coronavirus and one death, is one of the few (along with the DRC, Chad and Sierra Leone) to have maintained its prevention campaign against malaria despite the coronavirus. With in particular the multiplication of the distribution of mosquito nets before the rainy season, in a country where malaria kills 7,000 victims a year, tells us our correspondent in Cotonou, Delphine Bousquet .

• WHO warns: there is no evidence that an already infected person is immune

Please note, this is a tenacious rumor that the World Health Organization wanted to put an end to this Saturday: there is no evidence that people who test positive for the new coronavirus are immunized and protected against reinfection. The WHO believes that the issuance of "immune passports" may promote the continued spread of the pandemic.

• The Madagascan Academy of Medicine no longer opposes the remedy of President Andry Rajoelina

The Madagascar Academy of Retropedal Medicine . While initially, she had expressed her concerns about the use of "Covid-organics" - this herbal drink presented as a remedy for coronavirus according to the Madagascan president -, the scientists finally indicated late Friday evening in a press release that they no longer opposed its use. A decision that follows the meeting between Andry Rajoelina and the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. This made it possible to "  remove the doubts and reservations of the Academy regarding the use of Covid-organics  ", explains the institution.

► Read also: "No one has any evidence proving the effectiveness of artemisia against Covid-19"

The herbal tea has started to be distributed in schools and to the poorest populations in the three most affected cities of the country. The Big Island has 123 positive cases since the start of the pandemic, but no deaths. The Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina continues the after-sales service for the drink. After meeting with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi on Wednesday, the Head of State this time discussed the invention with his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall. A constructive discussion according to the two leaders.

Africa acts & protects against # Covid19. Thank you to the President @Macky_Sall for our discussions and his confidence. #Senegal congratulates #Madagascar for the improved traditional remedy Covid-Organics & launches a 1st order.
Long live Africa and long live its natural wealth! 🇲🇬 🇸🇳 pic.twitter.com/reRkE9I9vj

I welcome the fruitful exchange with President @SE_Rajoelina on sharing experiences and good practices in the fight against # Covid19. I salute Madagascar's efforts in the search for therapeutic solutions that Senegal is following with interest.

• Facebook attacks coronavirus in 24 more African countries

A blue frame, a stethoscope, a white heart and caregivers ... These are the illustrations that you will see appear at the top of your Facebook news feed if you connect to the social network on a large part of the continent. Nineteen sub-Saharan states already had the social network “coronavirus information center” functionality. There are now a total of 43 African countries to benefit from the system. This was announced by Facebook on Friday. An "information center" which appears at the top of the Internet news feed, and which offers real-time updates on the Covid-19 pandemic.

So far, South Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mauritius, Nigeria, DRC, Senegal, Seychelles, Chad and Togo were covered.
They are joined by the following countries: Botswana, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo-Brazzaville, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini (ex-Swaziland), Gambia, Guinea- Bissau, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Principe, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

• In Senegal, “we can laugh! "... but not too much, during Ramadan in confinement

No prayers in the mosques, no large shared meals to break the fast ... And even fewer "Ramadan sketches"! This year, the sacred month that begins for the 95% of Muslims in Senegal is placed under the sign of restriction. Usually, humorous videos are played on TV all night long. But in the context of Covid-19, the director of cinematography suspended filming authorizations, and the National Council for Audiovisual Regulation warns of content that could hinder response efforts. "  We must be careful with the stigma,  " warns its president at the microphone of our correspondent in Dakar, Charlotte Idrac . “  Infected people should not be stigmatized, [just like] infected cities. These are warnings. We did not ban the broadcasting of the sketches at all  ”. Senegal recorded a 7th death Friday from the coronavirus pandemic, and now has 614 cases. That is 69 more than the day before, which constitutes a record since the appearance of the virus in the country.

• Cameroon : 88 new cases, the country remains the most affected in Central Africa

While Central Africa is the continent's most spared region, Cameroon is an exception. Eighty-eight new positive cases of Covid-19 are to be counted this Saturday in the country, bringing the total since the beginning of the pandemic from 1,430 to 1,518, for 53 dead.

We record 88 more positive cases in all 9 regions in epidemic, a total of:
- 768 active (28 on oxygen and 207 hospitalized)
- 697 cured
- 53 deaths (majority in community)
COVID-19 n ' is not a disease of shame, let's treat ourselves in the hospital

• 22 new infections in the DRC

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the number of positive cases recorded since the appearance of the virus increased from 394 to 416. Twenty-two new infections for three new deaths in the country (bringing the total of deaths to 28). Forty-nine people are completely healed. The vast majority of cases are in the capital Kinshasa.

• In Congo-Brazzaville, truce between the power and the opposition to fight against the Covid-19

The time is no longer for political discord in Brazzaville. Power and opposition have agreed to a truce. This so-called “constitutional” opposition gave the Prime Minister a check for 10 million CFA francs (15,200 euros) as a contribution to the Solidarity Fund against Covid-19. For its part, the Congolese Labor Party, in power, asked this Saturday to the government "  to be determined in the application of the measures decreed to deal with the pandemic and to think of screening or even to strengthen the supply of cities in basic necessities  ”. The country has 200 cases, 14 more than the day before. The death toll has not changed (6 since the start of the pandemic).

• In Morocco, vast screening campaign in the prisons of the kingdom

270 cases of coronavirus were identified in penitentiary establishments in the south of the country, which prompted the Moroccan authorities to carry out a major screening campaign in prisons. 1,736 people (detainees and officials) have already been tested in 73 prisons. For the moment all negative. The majority of positive cases in prison come from Ouarzazate and Marrakech, two cities in the South. Moroccan penitentiaries have nearly 80,000 detainees, but since the beginning of April, more than 5,000 have been released to reduce the risk of spread in these overcrowded prisons.

North Africa remains the most affected region of the continent. Morocco has 3,889 cases for 159 deaths. Its Algerian neighbor has 3,127 contaminations and 415 deaths. Egypt surpassed the 4,000 case mark this Saturday: 4,092 precisely, for 294 dead.

• Kenyan police accused of abuse during curfew

From 7 p.m. the night curfew begins in Nairobi as in the rest of Kenya. And beware of latecomers. The locals are in a hurry in transport so as not to be at fault, and those who have not respected the timetable fear being arrested. But above all to be beaten up. This is what several Kenyans crossed by our correspondent, Sébastien Németh , confide . Others fled at the approach of a police car. According to the officer questioned, the law must be applied: those who are outside must be arrested and brought to justice, those who violate the curfew are irresponsible and he denies any excessive violence. However, according to the international NGO Human Rights Watch, at least six people were killed by the security forces during the application of the curfew. Kenya has had 343 positive cases of coronavirus since the start of the health crisis, with 14 deaths.

The curfew was extended by at least three weeks this Saturday by President Uhuru Kenyatta, as well as the ban on travel to or from several counties, including that of the capital Nairobi.

BREAKING: Cessation of movement in and out of Nairobi, Kilifi, Kwale, Mombasa and Mandera counties has been extended for a further period of 21 days.

The daily 7pm - 5am curfew shall also be extended for a further period of 21 days. - President Uhuru Kenyatta. # COVID19Updates pic.twitter.com/GJY885GwgO

• IMF releases $ 309 million in emergency aid for Mozambique

"  The pandemic is expected to have a significant impact on the economy of Mozambique, halting an emerging recovery after two powerful tropical cyclones that struck in 2019,  " the institution said in a statement. That is why the International Monetary Fund has announced that it will provide $ 309 million in emergency aid to the country to help it fight the coronavirus pandemic. What help the field of services, transport and agriculture in Mozambique, very affected by the decline in exports, especially mining. The country counts 70 cases, but no deaths.

• South Africa could seek aid of $ 4.2 billion

The country most affected by the Covid-19 on the continent, South Africa intends to seek financial assistance from the IMF and the World Bank of up to $ 4.2 billion. Finance Minister Tito Mboweni told a press conference, "  The IMF has said itself that South Africa is entitled to demand up to $ 4.2 billion in response to this crisis.  "

The country has launched a $ 26.5 billion economic and social support plan. The bill should also climb further, and the Minister of Finance said that the total package of budgetary and monetary measures could reach $ 42.1 billion. The South African Central Bank forecasts a fall in GDP of 6.1% in 2020, while the IMF expects a decline of 5.8%.

In addition, South Africa, which will loosen its confinement from May 1, announced that it would make it mandatory to wear the mask from that date. The country remains the most affected in Africa and passed the bar of 4,000 contaminations this Saturday, with 4,220 cases, for 79 dead.

• Opponent Charged In Zimbabwe For Criticizing Head Of State's Covid-19 Crisis

"  There is no doubt that we have an idiot at the head of the state  ." This is the message that would have sent on a WhatsApp group Chrispen Rambu, municipal councilor of the opposition in Zimbabwe, and which resulted in him being summoned by the police for "  insults  " to the head of state Emmerson Mnangagwa. Chrispen Rambu was later charged with undermining his authority, says the Association of Zimbabwe Human Rights Lawyers (ZLHR).

At Chipinge Magistrates Court, @ZLHRLawyers is representing Ward 8 Councilor Rambu who was charged with insulting President Mnangagwa after he allegedly forwarded a message on a WhatsApp group criticizing his failure to provide an economic rescue package for the country & citizens pic.twitter.com/YSkR7odx7H

The government and the population fear the disastrous impact of the global health crisis on Zimbabwe, worn out by twenty years of a catastrophic economic crisis which has ruined the State, including the public health system. Authorities across the country have so far reported 29 cases of Covid-19 contamination, including four fatal. The 15 million Zimbabweans suffer from severe shortages of basic necessities, including medicines, and half the population is threatened, according to the UN, by famine.

• In Togo, a solitary bird but united Hawks

If Emmanuel Adebayor is a solitary migratory bird , the current Hawks show solidarity. Former Togolese captain Emmanuel Adebayor, who has passed through Real Madrid, Arsenal and now Paraguay, caused an uproar this week on social networks. The attacker had declared that he would not make any donation to fight the spread of Covid-19. An isolated case among the Hawks, because the current members of the Togolese workforce have put their hands in their pockets: masks, hydroalcoholic gels, protective suits, soaps, rice, pasta ... The footballers of the country have been mobilized since the beginning of the epidemic.

Togo has 96 positive cases, and recorded a 6th death on Friday.

Our selection on SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

• Listen to Coronavirus Info , daily chronicle on the pandemic

• Explanation:  The origins of the Covid-19

• Analyzes:
→  What strategies to face the epidemic ?
→  A vaccine, the only solution to stem the pandemic?
→  What impact on conflict zones?

• Practical questions:
→  What is known about the mode of contagion
→  What results for ongoing clinical trials?
→  How to make a mask and use it well

Find all our articles, reports, chronicles and programs on the coronavirus by clicking here .

See also the files of RFI Savoirs  on the Covid-19:
•  Birth of a pandemic
•  Everyday life put to the test
•  The history of epidemics
•  The science facing the Covid-19
•  The geopolitical consequences

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