The African continent is in the midst of a full-blown third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO Africa gave an update on the resurgence of coronavirus cases on the continent on Thursday.
Five million Africans have contracted the disease, with 136,000 having lost their lives so far.
“New cases, continentwide are up by nearly 30% in the past week and deaths are up by 15%,” said WHO Africa Regional Director, Doctor Matshidiso Moeti.
Moeti said Africa’s vaccine rollout was picking up speed with over five million doses administered in the past five days.
“Unfortunately, 23 countries have used less than half of the doses they have received, including four of the countries experiencing a resurgence. These countries are facing logistical challenges, gaps in operational funding & vaccine hesitancy.”
She said after four weeks of consecutive increases in infections, Africa’s third wave was surging upward and accelerating fast, urging countries that were still lagging behind in their vaccination drives to rapidly expand their sites.
“Almost 12 million people are now fully vaccinated, but this is still less than 1% of Africa’s population.” – Eyewitness News
