KEY POINTS

  • Africa struggles with testing its people amid the coronavirus outbreak
  • In the last week, Africa has a reported 43 percent increase in the reported coronavirus cases
  • Medical experts are concerned over the surge of coronavirus infected Africans which are underreported
  • Considering the current situation, WHO warned that Africa could become the next epicenter of the disease
  • John Nkengasong, CDC-Africa director, reportedly said such could be averted; however, a major obstacle remains —fragility in the African countries’ healthcare system

Africa is reportedly struggling with testing capacity amid coronavirus outbreak, and with its current reported population of 1.3 billion, the continent could become the next epicenter of the pandemic.

South Africa's economy was already in bad shape before the coronavirus hit
South Africa's economy was already in bad shape before the coronavirus hit AFP / Phill Magakoe

To date, Africa governments reported a total of almost 26,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. That is according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Daily Mail reported.

Over the last 24 hours, there had been 808 new confirmed coronavirus cases with 17,522 cumulated cases in the WHO African Region, according to the data found in the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa. Meanwhile, aggregate data in the Johns Hopkins Center for Science and Engineering showed 3,953 confirmed cases in South Africa with 75 deaths.

In the last week, Africa had registered a 43 percent leap in the reported coronavirus cases, and with the growing numbers, WHO warned that the continent could become the next epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, CTV News reported. WHO further warned that the novel coronavirus could kill more than 300,000 and push 30 million people into “desperate poverty.”

The World Bank's International Development Association fights poverty in some of the world's poorest countries, including Central African Republic
The World Bank's International Development Association fights poverty in some of the world's poorest countries, including Central African Republic AFP / CAMILLE LAFFONT

The director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Africa, John Nkengasong said, during his weekly briefing on Thursday, that Africa has a very limited and very strained testing capacity, news outlet further reported.

Nkengasong reportedly said that the report of WHO was not a prediction so it could only mean that it would happen. There had been also growing concerns among medical experts over the surge in the number of infected Africans which were underreported and in reality, the numbers could be higher.

South African police clashed with Cape Town township residents protesting over access to food aid during a coronavirus lockdown
South African police clashed with Cape Town township residents protesting over access to food aid during a coronavirus lockdown AFP / RODGER BOSCH

Within two months since the fight against the coronavirus started in Africa, less than 500,000 tests had been reportedly conducted over the population of more than 1 billion. Nkengasong emphasized the utmost importance of testing people and tracing the coronavirus in order to avert such a disaster.

The CDC in Africa plans to conduct 1 million more tests in the next four weeks and 10 million in the next four months but these efforts are faced by a major obstacle, and that is the fragility of the health services in several African countries, says Nkengasong.

Meanwhile, WHO, in its effort to provide support to affected African countries, provide electronic data tools for the national authorities to ensure a better understanding of the outbreak in their respective countries on top of assisting with mass media information dissemination.

The organization also emphasized that basic preventive measures not only by the individuals but the community, as a whole, remain the most powerful tool to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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