Coronavirus: Africa and the pandemic Thursday April 30

Text by: RFI Follow

Africa counted this Thursday, April 30, 37,393 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The Covid-19 has already claimed the lives of 1,598 people on the continent, according to the African Union Center for Disease Prevention and Control. South Africa and Egypt have passed the 5,000 case mark. They are followed by Morocco (4,359 cases), Algeria (3,848 cases) and Ghana (2,074 cases).

Publicity

• Several clinical trials underway in Africa

During a virtual press conference on Thursday, Dr. Raji Tajudeen, director of public health research institutes at the African Union Center for Disease Prevention and Control, detailed clinical trials underway on the continent. "  In general, very few clinical trials are organized in Africa, compared to other regions of the world,  " he regrets.

The majority of trials are carried out in Egypt: 13 relate to treatments against the coronavirus and two relate to vaccines. In Zambia, a clinical trial is also underway on hydroxychloroquine. South Africa is part of the World Health Organization (WHO) study, called Solidarity, and is interested in chloroquine, the protein interferon, and the antiviral remdesivir. Finally, Nigeria and Tunisia are conducting one and two clinical trials on therapeutic agents, respectively.

• In Burkina Faso, the opposition requests the resignation of the Minister of Health

After the dismissal of the coordinator of the pandemic response team on Wednesday, the main opposition party, the Union for Progress and Change (UPC), is now asking for the resignation of the Minister of Health, Claudine Lougué . “  The information communicated by the Minister of Health to the national representation revealed a certain number of lies. The Minister of Health, like her colleagues and collaborators who handled the facts in the Rose Marie Compaoré case, no longer have any legitimacy to deal with Burkinabè health issues  , "said Adama Sosso, vice-president of the UPC, at a press conference this Thursday morning.

Rose Marie Compaoré was the second vice-president of the National Assembly. Died on March 17, she was presented as the first coronavirus victim in the country. Before the deputies, the Minister of Health then said that a medical team had received the family of the deceased and had disinfected their home. The claim was then denied by those close to Rose Marie Compaoré. Claudine Lougué finally admitted to having lied to the deputies, her instructions not having been followed by her teams.

► Details from our correspondent: The controversy is swelling in Burkina Faso over the management of the coronavirus

• First cases of coronavirus in a Kinshasa prison

In the DRC, four detainees from Ndolo prison in Kinshasa tested positive for Covid-19. These are the first cases registered in a prison in the country. Other inmates at the facility were placed under quarantine. The health authorities sent a team to the site to determine how the prison was infected with the virus.

• “Africa is not spared”, warn the United Nations

During a virtual press conference, the World Health Organization (WHO) and several other UN bodies discussed their coordinated response to the coronavirus in West and Central Africa. In the region, 11,000 cases have been confirmed so far, 300 deaths have been reported. And if the virus progresses slowly, we must remain very careful according to the UN authorities. “  The impact is complex and Africa is not spared. As Antonio Guterres said, the pandemic not only threatens development but also increases the risks of instability, unrest and conflict,  "worries Ibn Chambas, special envoy of the United Nations secretary general in West Africa. and in the Sahel.
“  If the control measures remain unchanged, the number of cases will double every week, warns, too, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO director general for sub-Saharan Africa. We need screening, quarantine and treatment  . ”

► ► Read here: Coronavirus: "Africa is not safe", according to the United Nations

• Schools reopened in Senegal on June 2

The Senegalese government announced on Wednesday the gradual reopening of schools from June 2. Students who are in the exam year will be able to return to their classes on this date. Establishments have been closed across the country since March 16. Senegal has reported 933 confirmed cases of Covid-19 including 344 cured and nine deaths.

In a tweet, President Macky Sall also indicates that the Council of Ministers recommends to the various academies to think about a resumption of higher education for the period from June 2 to 14.

#ConseilDesMinistresSn pic.twitter.com/VFw7oEDwat

• Easing of restrictions and economic measures in Cameroon

Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute announced in a press release Thursday that some measures taken to contain the coronavirus epidemic in the country have been eased. Restaurants and places of leisure may reopen after 6 p.m., the restriction of passengers in public transport is lifted, but wearing a mask remains compulsory.

Tax measures to help businesses have also been adopted. General accounting checks are suspended for the second quarter, and companies affected by the crisis will be able to benefit from deferred payments. The payment of the property tax is postponed to September 30. The Prime Minister also announces the allocation of an envelope of 25 billion FCFA to support the treasuries of businesses. Finally, social assistance will be reinforced: the allowances must drop from 2,800 FCFA to 4,500 FCFA, and the old pensions, which were not revalued in 2016, will be increased by 20%.

Cameroon also announces the reopening of its universities for June. The Minister of Higher Education Jacques Fame Ndongo announced that the universities will reopen on June 1 in Cameroon. The calendar will be rearranged with an extension of the school year until August 20. The Minister also recommends regular cleaning of the rooms and the installation of numerous water points for hand washing.

07 recommendations sanctioned the meeting that I chaired on April 29, 2020 by videoconference and which brought together the heads of university institutions, the heads of establishments with special status, as well as the promoters of IPES. Resolutions ranging from ... pic.twitter.com/yst8tdPjLd

• Reopening of banks and public transport on Monday in Nigeria

The Nigerian government announced the reopening of banks and government offices this Monday, May 4. The coronavirus task force formed by the president indicated that these reopenings were envisaged within the framework of the relief of the containment of the capital Abuja, the city of Lagos and the state of Ogun. Schools will remain closed, however, and restaurants will only be allowed to open for takeout. Public transport will operate between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Industrialists and construction sites will be able to resume work, but with a limited number of employees.

• In Sudan, the coronavirus enters the Kober prison

Ahmed Haroun, the leader of the former ruling Sudanese party and now detained in Kober prison, tested positive for Covid-19. He was transferred to the hospital, according to his family. Kober's prison is also the place of detention of ousted president Omar el-Béchir and officials of the former regime. Relatives of these prisoners fear that the other detainees are suffering from the disease. They put the transitional government "  before its responsibilities  ".

• The scientific committee makes its recommendations in Guinea

The recommendations of the Guinean Scientific Council in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus were made public on Wednesday. Experts notably requested the isolation or hospitalization of all patients with Covid-19, in particular through the requisition of hotels or the installation of tents in stadiums and universities.

The scientific committee also recommends the separation of positive and suspect cases, and the prohibition of families in treatment centers. Only nursing staff should be able to access it, to avoid any case of contamination. The availability of protective equipment for carers must also be ensured. Awareness of barrier gestures and the importance of isolating positive cases, essential basic services for the sick (especially food) and screening capacities must also be strengthened.

In addition, the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) is concerned about human rights violations linked to the measures taken by the Guinean authorities to fight against Covid-19. "  Residents of Conakry told us of an atmosphere of insecurity during the curfew, with incidents such as theft, rampage, burglaries. The abuses perpetrated by the security forces only exacerbate an already deep distrust of the authorities. It is an additional obstacle to the fight against Covid-19,  ”explains Ilaria Allegrozzi, researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Guinea: Faced with # Covid19, the confidence of Guineans in their govt must be reinforced so that social distancing and other barrier gestures are respected. Lessons should be learned from the Ebola experience, gaining people's trust, https://t.co/U4PDeq7DSi

• Prisoner riots in Sierra Leone

Two guards and five detainees from Pademba Road prison in the capital Freetown in Sierra Leone were killed during a riot on Wednesday. The reasons for the prisoners' mutiny have not been established, but it occurred one day after an inmate was found positive for Covid-19. The authorities condemned the section of the prison through which the patient had passed. The prisoners who had been around him were put on health surveillance.

• Mozambique extends state of emergency

President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi extends the state of emergency for 30 days to limit the spread of the coronavirus. According to the Head of State, the measure introduced on April 1 has slowed down the epidemic in the territory, which is why it must be extended. However, he warned that still many people are leaving their homes without good reason, and encouraged citizens to do more to limit the number of positive people.

• Doctors' anger at the arrival of Cuban experts in South Africa

The first doctors' union, SAMA, denounced the call of Cuban experts in South Africa on Wednesday. According to him, the government should have provided for a national preference vis-à-vis South African hospital practitioners. But the Ministry of Health ensures that the Cuban team includes renowned specialists, including epidemiologists or biostatisticians.

The other question mark highlighted by the press is the cost of this operation officially presented as humanitarian. It would amount to 22 million euros, according to a document received by the South African Treasury, including 15 million intended for doctors' salaries. The Cuban embassy was quick to deny it, claiming that doctors are paid by Havana. The Ministry of Health of South Africa has remained silent on the subject.

► Read here: Coronavirus in South Africa: controversy after the arrival of Cuban doctors

• In Madagascar, the diplomacy of Covid-Organics

For two weeks, the Madagascan president Andry Rajoelina has been touting the benefits of Covid-Organics, an artemisia-based decoction supposed to prevent or even cure coronavirus. The Head of State multiplies the talks to defend his treatment in front of his African counterparts, with Senegal and the DRC in particular. Equatorial Guinea even sent a plane on Wednesday to the Big Island to bring back to its soil a donation of more than 10,000 doses of this remedy.

The special envoy of the President of Equatorial Guinea, the Vice Minister of Health @MitohaOndo arrived on Malagasy soil to recover the Tambavy CovidOrganics / preventive and curative. #Madagascar is there to help all friendly countries against # COVID19. 🇲🇬 🇬🇶 pic.twitter.com/VzaQ8DqcEF

This Thursday, it is Guinea-Bissau which must send a plane in turn. The President of Guinea-Bissau has indicated that he could collect the packages from Covid-Organics and then distribute them to the fifteen member countries of the ECOWAS, the West African regional organization. According to the chief of staff of the Malagasy presidency, this has already been agreed with Togo and Senegal.

• South African hotels are mobilizing to house caregivers

While caregivers are on the front line facing the epidemic, the Ubuntu Beds platform allows them to be accommodated in hotels, now almost empty, in order to sleep as close as possible to their place of work. To date, around 400 establishments have offered their hospitality, and have already offered rooms to 300 caregivers. “  All the international travelers have returned home, and our hotel would probably have been empty until the end of confinement. To make it work, we thoroughly clean our rooms very regularly, and the few common areas are also very often disinfected. We only accept one more person per room,  ”explains Kim Whitaker, who initiated the project.

►Listen to our correspondent's report  : South Africa: an initiative to pay the hotel for nursing staff

• 3D printing, a new tool in the fight against the coronavirus in Africa

Could 3D printing be a solution to the shortage of medical equipment? There are more and more initiatives to use this technology in the manufacture of masks, visors or respiratory devices. Based in Togo and Ghana, the Energy Generation association has developed a Covid-19 3D Print platform. "  We did a pilot production of around fifty pieces and we are able to produce much more according to the needs,  " explains Astria Fataki, the founder of the association. The objective: to prepare a plan B for hospitals, if equipment is lacking.

► Listen here: Africa tests 3D printing in the fight against the Covid-19

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

Newsletter With the Daily Newsletter, find the headlines directly in your mailbox

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

• Coronavirus
• Health and Medicine
• Africa
• Confinement

On the same subject

The return journey of deceased Senegalese expatriates from Covid-19

The controversy swells in Burkina Faso over the management of the coronavirus

Coronavirus in South Africa: controversy after the arrival of Cuban doctors