Deaths due to Covid-19 in Africa "increased by 40%" in one month, the World Health Organization (WHO) was alarmed on Thursday, February 11, worrying about the fate of a continent faced with new, more contagious variants.

"More than 22,300 deaths have been reported in Africa in the last 28 days, against nearly 16,000 deaths in the previous 28 days," said the WHO Africa office, headquartered in Brazzaville (Congo ).

This situation comes as the continent "is fighting against new, more contagious variants and is preparing for its largest vaccination campaign ever organized", writes the UN agency after a virtual press conference.

The first cases of coronavirus in Africa were diagnosed on February 14, 2020. Since then, more than 3,700,000 cases have been recorded, with more than 3,200,000 associated recoveries and 96,000 deaths reported, according to the latest figures released by the office on Thursday. WHO Africa.

The continent is expected to reach "100,000 deaths in the coming days", according to this source.

Rising deaths from Covid-19 are "worrying warning signs that health workers and health systems in Africa are dangerously overloaded," said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for 'Africa.

During the first wave of the epidemic, Africa was the continent least affected by the pandemic.

In the second wave, as cases "jumped well beyond the peak of the first wave, health facilities were overwhelmed," said the WHO.

As of February 11, 2021: + 3,700,000 cases of # COVID19 in Africa - with more than 3,200,000 associated recoveries and 96,000 deaths reported.



Check out the numbers by country on the WHO COVID-19 dashboard for the African Region: https://t.co/OLDIVVIePA pic.twitter.com/QCnREaRFWv

- WHO Africa (@OMS_Afrique) February 11, 2021

The vast majority of African countries have not yet started to immunize populations.

In some countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), vaccination against the coronavirus is a very delicate subject.

Distrust of the vaccine is widespread and many messages evoking conspiracy theories are regularly shared on social media.

“Go out and get vaccinated when a vaccine is available in your country,” Dr Moeti told people in Africa.

The pandemic is "far from over and vaccines are only an essential tool in our fight against the virus", she added.

With AFP

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