| COVID-19 pandemic in Africa | |
|---|---|
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Africa |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
| Arrival date | 14 February 2020 (4 years, 9 months, 1 week and 3 days ago) |
| Confirmed cases | 4,155,451 (as of 23 March 2021)[1] |
| Active cases | 331,375 (as of 23 March 2021)[1] |
| Recovered | 3,713,065 (as of 23 March 2021)[1] |
Deaths | 110,606 (as of 23 March 2021)[1] |
Territories | 58[1] |
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The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Africa on 14 February 2020, with the first confirmed case announced in Egypt.[2][3] The first confirmed case in sub-Saharan Africa was announced in Nigeria at the end of February.[4] Within three months, the virus had spread throughout the continent, as Lesotho, the last African sovereign state to have remained free of the virus, reported a case on 13 May.[5][6] By 26 May, it appeared that most African countries were experiencing community transmission, although testing capacity was limited.[7] Most of the identified imported cases arrived from Europe and the United States rather than from China where the virus originated.[8] It is believed that there is widespread under-reporting in many African countries with less developed healthcare systems.[9]
New strains of the virus were found in December 2020 in South Africa and Nigeria, in addition to the Lineage B.1.1.7 variant reported in the United Kingdom in September.[10]
The African Union secured close to 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in the largest such agreement yet for Africa; it was announced on 13 January 2021. This is independent of the global Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (COVAX) effort aimed at distributing COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income countries.[11] Notably, however, African countries were being charged more than double what European countries had to pay for certain vaccines.[12] The Group of Seven (G-7) promised an equitable distribution of vaccines on 19 February 2021, although few details were provided.[13] The African Union secured close to 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in the largest such agreement yet for Africa; it was announced on 13 January 2021. This is independent of the global Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (COVAX) effort aimed at distributing COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income countries.[11] Notably, however, African countries were being charged more than double what European countries had to pay for certain vaccines.[12] The Group of Seven (G-7) promised an equitable distribution of vaccines on 19 February 2021, although few details were provided.[13]
- ^ a b c d e "Coronavirus update (live)". Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ "Beijing orders 14-day quarantine for all returnees". BBC News. 15 February 2020. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Egypt announces first Coronavirus infection". Egypt Today. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Nigeria confirms first coronavirus case". BBC News. 28 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Remote Lesotho becomes last country in Africa to record COVID-19 case". Reuters. 13 May 2020. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus live updates: Lesotho becomes last African nation to report a coronavirus case". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Akinwotu E (26 May 2020). "Experts sound alarm over lack of Covid-19 test kits in Africa". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ Maclean R (17 March 2020). "Africa Braces for Coronavirus, but Slowly". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ Jason Burke, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin (2 May 2020). "Somali medics report rapid rise in deaths as Covid-19 fears grow". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Another new COVID strain found in Nigeria, says Africa CDC". aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera English. 24 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Africa secures 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in deal with manufacturers". Africanews. 13 January 2021. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ^ a b "'Deeply Alarming': AstraZeneca Charging South Africa More Than Double What Europeans Pay for Covid-19 Vaccine". Common Dreams. 22 January 2021. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ a b Lawless J (19 February 2021). "G-7 vows 'equitable' world vaccine access, but details scant". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.