WHO says no country in the region is currently seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases.
The number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Africa has fallen to its lowest level since the pandemic began, according to the World Health Organisation, the longest decline the disease has seen so far.
In a statement on Thursday, the UN health agency said the omicron surge had caused COVID-19 infections to drop from a peak of more than 308,000 weekly cases last week to less than 20,000. Cases and deaths fell by 29 percent and 37 percent, respectively, in the last week; The death toll came down to 239 as compared to the previous week.
“This low level of infection has not been observed in Africa since April 2020 in the early stages of the pandemic,” the WHO said.
However, the agency warned that as winter approaches countries in the Southern Hemisphere, “there is a high risk of another wave of new infections.”
Coronavirus spreads more easily in colder temperatures when people are likely to gather in large numbers indoors.
“With the virus still circulating, the risk of new and potentially more deadly forms emerging, and pandemic control measures are critical. [an] Effective response to increase in infections,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Africa director.
The decline in Africa is in line with falling COVID-19 numbers globally, though Chinese officials fear the country still hasn’t seen the latest surge in cases linked to Omicron despite a “zero-tolerance” approach, which took three weeks. has started. The lockdown in Shanghai, where at least 15 million people are still prohibited from going out.
Meanwhile, scientists in the US have warned that the country could see a wave of cases driven by the Omicron subvariant BA.2, which has already peaked across Europe. The country is expected to mark the death of at least one million Americans soon killed by COVID.
Earlier this week, the WHO said scientists in Botswana and South Africa had detected new variants of the omicron variant, labeled as Ba.4 and Ba.5, but not yet sure. that they may be more permeable or dangerous.
Despite repeated warnings from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that the coronavirus will devastate Africa, the continent has been the least affected by the pandemic.
In an analysis released last week, the WHO estimated that up to 65 percent of people in Africa have been infected with the coronavirus and said that unlike many other regions, most people infected on the continent showed no symptoms.
