VIRUS CASES IN AFRICA NEAR 1.2M, DEATHS CLOSE TO 28,000

Tue 25 August 2020:

Almost 922,000 COVID-19 patients have recovered across the continent, says Africa CDC

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Coronavirus cases in Africa are now close to 1.2 million and the death toll on the continent is nearing 28,000, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said in an update on Tuesday.

The total number of COVID-19 infections stands at 1,195,297, including 27,783 fatalities and 921,783 recoveries, read the update.

Southern Africa is the continent’s worst-hit region with 652,400 cases and 14,100 deaths. 

An overwhelming majority of these infections and fatalities – 611,500 cases and 13,200 deaths – have been reported in the state of South Africa alone.

With 142,200 infections, North Africa is second in terms of COVID-19 cases, followed by 126,300 in West Africa, 67,400 in East Africa, and 42,300 in Central Africa.

The pandemic has claimed at least 8,100 lives in North Africa, 2,500 in East Africa, 2,300 in West Africa, and 1,000 in Central Africa.

The hardest-hit countries in these regions are North Africa’s Egypt with 97,500 cases, Nigeria in West Africa with 52,500, Ethiopia in East Africa with 42,100, and Cameroon in Central Africa with 17,500 infections.

Last week, the Africa CDC launched a campaign to carry out 20 million COVID-19 tests across the continent by November.

Around the world, COVID-19 has claimed nearly 813,500 lives in at least 188 countries and regions since last December.

More than 23.66 million cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries exceeding 15.35 million, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.