Africa, the continent where the Omicron variant was first identified more than a month ago, is facing the greatest acceleration of the Covid-19 epidemic this year.

The number of cases of contamination there increased by 83% last week, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which said Tuesday, December 14 that the number of deaths remained low.

The increase in the number of cases is linked to the Delta and Omicron variants, the WHO said in a statement.

The number of new infections in Africa is currently doubling every five days, the fastest pace to date.

Low vaccination rates on the continent have encouraged the spread of variants like Omicron, according to health experts.

Africa is struggling to obtain vaccines, especially due to a lack of funds, personnel and equipment.

Only 20 African countries have successfully vaccinated at least 10% of their population, according to the WHO.

And some countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo or Chad have vaccinated less than 1% of their inhabitants, according to data collected by Reuters.

>> To read also: "Covid-19: what do we know about the Omicron variant?"

"We remain rather optimistic but cautious, and believe that the number of deaths and serious forms will remain low after the wave we are passing through, but the slow roll-out of vaccination in Africa means that the toll will be much higher than it should have been, ”said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.

The continent recorded more than 196,000 new cases of contamination last week, against about 107,000 the previous week, according to the WHO.

The number of deaths has fallen by 19% over the same period and is averaging a thousand per week.

"Omicron is spreading at a rate we've never seen"

Africa appears to be grappling with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, which is spreading much faster around the world than previous variants that have emerged.

"77 countries have now reported cases of Omicron, but the reality is that Omicron is likely to be found in most countries even though it has not yet been detected. Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen. never seen with any other variant, "WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference on Tuesday.

"We are concerned that people view Omicron as benign. (...) Even if Omicron causes less serious illness, the number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems," he added.

The WHO chief also warned the international community that vaccines alone will not allow any country to emerge from this crisis, and called for using all of the anti-Covid tools that exist, such as masks, l regular ventilation of interiors and respect for barrier gestures.

“Do it all. Do it consistently. Do it right,” he said.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also noted that the emergence of Omicron has prompted some countries to offer booster doses for their entire adult population, "although we lack evidence regarding the effectiveness of boosters against it. variant ".

But the WHO fears that these programs may contribute to the accumulation of Covid-19 vaccines by rich countries, as has been the case so far, undermining vaccination in poor countries.

"I'll be very clear: WHO is not against booster doses. We are against vaccine inequity," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

With Reuters and AFP

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