Pandemic ‘accelerating’ in Africa, test kits needed, WHO says

The coronavirus pandemic is “accelerating” in Africa, spreading from capital cities where it arrived with travelers, but it does not appear that severe cases and deaths are being missed, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

Ten countries are driving Africa’s epidemic, accounting for 75% of some 200,000 cases on the continent which has 5,000 deaths, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Africa regional director, told a Geneva briefing. South Africa accounts for a quarter of cases.

“We believe that large numbers of severe cases and deaths are not being missed in Africa,” she said. “One of the biggest challenges in Africa continues to be the availability of supplies, particularly test kits.”