Coronavirus: Confirmed Cases In Africa Hits 6,470

The cases of infection in Africa has risen to 6,470 as at Thursday, this is according to the Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

On April 1, the number of recorded cases was 5,940, across 49 countiries on the continent, but the cases rose on the 2nd of April, with a record of 241 deaths and 540 recoveries, according to the ACDC report.

The Northern African region still remains the worst hit region in Africa, with a record of 2,740 cases, 290 recoveries, and 162 deaths, closely followed by South Africa, recording 1,471 cases, 10 deaths, and 34 recoveries.

The West African region follows with 1,207 cases of infection, 147 total recoveries, and 35 deaths.

Eastern Africa records 586 cases in total, with 14 recoveries, and 13 deaths.

The region with less number of recorded cases is the Central African region, recording 466 cases, 19 recoveries, and 21 deaths.

As explained by the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, the cases of infection have steadily increased in the region.

The statement said, “It took 16 days from the first confirmed case in the Region to reach 100 cases. It took a further 10 days to reach the first thousand.

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“Three days after this, there were 2000 cases, and two days later we were at 3000."

With many African countries trying to curtail the spread of the virus, lockdowns and restrictions in the gathering of people have been instituted.

According to the WFP Regional Director for Southern Africa, Dr Moeti and Ms Lola Castro, spoke on the measures taken byy countries to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“For socially restrictive measures to be effective, they must be accompanied by strong, sustained and targeted public health measures that locate, isolate, test and treat COVID-19 cases,” Dr Moeti explained.

“It’s vital that ports continue to operate to receive food and other essential humanitarian cargo; that borders and roads stay open so it can be moved where it is most needed, and that distributions to vulnerable people are conducted safely,” said Ms Castro.

“It’s also crucial that the international community promptly provide the considerable funding needed to maintain and scale up assistance programmes.”