Risk of Covid-19 Resurgence Remain High in Africa: WHO

Brazzaville: The risk of covid-19 resurgence remains high in several African countries due to poor adherence to public health measures, mass gatherings, low testing and vaccination rates, an analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) has shown.
 
Three countries face very high risk of covid-19 resurgence, 20 face high, 22 moderate risk, and only one country faces low risk, according to the risk assessment of 46 countries. 
 
The risk was estimated using seven indicators with data from the past four weeks, including COVID-19 cases per million people; the percentage of change in new cases; the percentage of change in new deaths; the reproductive number (the rate at which an infection spreads); the pandemic trend; the average weekly number of tests per 10 000 people; and the percentage of the population that has received at least one vaccine dose.

With more than 4.5 million confirmed cases and over 120 000 deaths to date, the continent has not experienced a surge in cases since January and the epidemic curve has plateaued for six weeks. 
 
However, the relatively low number of cases has encouraged complacency and there are signs of reduced observance of preventive measures. Recent political rallies in countries such as Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea and Kenya caused a spike in new cases. Upcoming elections in Cabo Verde, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe and Zambia could trigger a rise in cases due to mass gatherings.
 
"We cannot be lulled into a false sense of security. The devastating surge of cases and deaths in India, and increases in other regions of the world, are clear signs that the pandemic is not yet over in African countries. A new upsurge of COVID-19 infections is a real risk in many countries even if the region’s case count in recent weeks appears to be stable," said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in a press release on Thursday.
 
"Combatting COVID-19 fatigue appears to be the key battle in our collective response to the pandemic," Moeti stated.
 
Most countries in the region are experiencing community transmission, yet 31 out of the 46 countries analysed performed fewer than 10 tests per 10 000 people per week in the past four weeks. 
 
This suggests that the number of cases reported in the past 28 days may not reflect the true situation as countries continue to target only people with symptoms for testing.
 
Cek Berita dan Artikel yang lain di Google News