ALL CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AFRICA
Africa cases of the pandemic coronavirus continue to rise. At least 42 of Africa 54 countries are now affected. Uganda, Eritrea and Angola are the latest to record their first cases. The region now has more than 1000 cases of Coronavirus with at least 17 deaths. Across the continent, lockdowns have begun to halt the spread. Some African governments have responded aggressively to this pandemic by closing schools, banning unnecessary movements and social gatherings, all incoming international flights, especially from high-risk countries, while others are still in limbo on what to do next. Many health systems in the region are already struggling and further spread of the virus will have serious repercussions, global health officials say.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan China in late 2019. The virus belongs to the coronavirus family, which includes the highly contagious Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the common cold. Coronaviruses spread when a person nears and inhales droplets generated by an infected person when they cough, sneeze, or through touching surfaces where these droplets land, then touching their face or nose or eyes.
Early symptoms include flu-like symptoms like fever, cough, and shortness of breath. These appear as soon as two days, or as long as 14days, after exposure to the virus. The severity of the infection varies from mild or no symptoms to severe or sometimes fatal illness. Medical reports have shown those with mild cases recover within weeks while older people and those with chronic medical conditions are the most vulnerable and develop a severe illness like pneumonia and organ failure. Currently, more than 275,000 cases have been confirmed globally, including over 11,000 deaths. At least 88,000 people have recovered. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
According to WHO, washing hands with soap and water remains the number one tip for preventing the spread of the virus. In the absence of water, alcohol-based hand sanitizer is the next best option. Staying at home and social distancing is another best way to prevent the spread of this deadly virus.
The list below shows countries that have reported Coronavirus cases in Africa and their course of action.
1.Egypt
Egypt was the first state in Africa to report a case of the deadly virus. So far, the country has confirmed 294 infections and 10 deaths. Two weeks after banning all flights from China and Italy, Egypt confirmed its first case on February 14. The Chinese patient tested positive at the Cairo International Airport and was placed under quarantine isolation in a hospital. The first time the incident was reported, the government of Egypt did not take the necessary measures to contain the spread of the virus. The government banned large public gatherings, created a website to inform citizens of its efforts, tested 2000 suspected cases, and canceled Luxor Africa Festivals and hot air balloons. But this was not enough, according to health experts. Tourists were still streaming in from affected countries, schools were opened, sports activities continued, and Friday prayers were held in Egypt 100,000 mosques. Crowded churches also held masses. Only after cases escalated and after social media criticism that the government acted.
On March 21, the government ordered mosques and churches to close to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. Monasteries and closed condolences halls attached to churches have also been closed, and funerals will be attended by family members only. Egypt has shut schools and cut the number of public sector employees reporting to work in an effort to discourage crowding and slow the spread of the disease. Flights are grounded until the end of March.
- South Africa
South Africa healthcare system is already struggling, and the COVID-19 pandemic could overwhelm it entirely. On March 10, confirmed cases of infected was only 17. The number of people has risen quickly to 240.
The first case was reported by a 38-year-old man who traveled to Italy—then followed by another one in the free state, a 32-year-old patient who came in contact with a Chinese businessman. This was the first local transmission to be reported. Other cases were identified in KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga.
The cases have risen to 17 following four more confirmation on March 10. South Africa is fortunate to have a National Institute for infectious diseases in Johannesburg to help out concerning the novel Coronavirus. It has world-class experts to respond to the pandemic.
The country has surveillance and prevention, and if a person tests positive must by law reported to NICD. The effort is aided by a functioning influenza sentinel surveillance system that operates every year due to the flu. The minister of Health activated this system on January 29, 2020, in readiness for COVID-19 a month before the first case was reported.
An estimation of around 3000 health workers has been trained, including those from the private health sector. On March 11, approximately 700 people were tested.
- Algeria
The first case in Algeria was reported in February of an Italian who tested positive but has since left Algeria. The other cases involved two Algerians who had traveled to France. Seventeen family members from Bilda were confirmed positive while the first victim passed away.
On an attempt to contain the spread, the Health ministry urged Algerians to return from countries with high rates of infection to postpone any visit to family members unless necessary. The president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, ordered the closure of all Algerian schools and universities for three weeks until April 5.
The government has a ban on spectators at a sports event, on the political, social and cultural gathering.
There monitoring and warning devices set up at the national level to aid in detecting suspected cases.
Currently, the country has confirmed 201 positive cases and 17 deaths.
- Nigeria
Nigeria has five more new cases.
Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health on March 21 confirmed 10 of Coronavirus. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 22 with 2 cases having been discharged. All the new 10 cases are Nigerian nationals who returned to the country in the last week from the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Netherlands, and Canada. The 10 patient is a close contact of a previously confirmed case. Contact tracing is ongoing to identify all persons who have been in contact with the new confirmed cases
Nigeria’s first case was reported on February 27, where an Italian citizen in Lagos tested positive. The second case was reported in Ewekoro, Ogun State, on March 9 of a Nigerian citizen who had come in contact with the Italian citizen.
The country has a National Coronavirus Emergency Operation Centre that was activated when the first case was reported. The first step was to educate the public on personal and cough hygiene for more than a month.
They also developed five laboratories that have been helping in shortening and detections. The government continue to restrict travelers from countries with more than 1,000 cases. Travelers from China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, the United States, Norway, U.K, Netherlands, and Switzerland are restricted from entering the country.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria has also suspended the issuance of visa on arrival to travelers from these countries. All travelers returning from these countries before the restriction will be in supervised self-isolation, monitored by the NCDC and Port Health Services,” the country’s National Centre for Disease Control tweeted.
- Senegal
A Senegalese national who lives in Italy was the first case to be reported in Senegal. This was after visiting a Doctor in Touba in March a day after exhibiting the symptoms. Five more cases were reported of the family members of the first case. Fifty-six people are confirmed positive to Coronavirus.
In Dakar, the capital of Senegal, Fann hospital has implemented systems for handling new Coronavirus cases, and they are confident and ready to deal with an epidemic. The hospital has 12 individual rooms that can be expanded within a week if the need arises.
The government announced over $ 2M was set aside to help fight the epidemic. The event which could draw a lot of people is either being canceled or postponed.
- Tunisia
The first case was reported on the March 2 of a Tunisia national who had arrived from Genoa, Italy. The number since then has risen to 60 cases and 3 reported deaths.
The government introduced a thermal camera that is installed at airports to monitor the body temperature for travelers arriving in the country. The finance ministry allocated 4M dinars to deal with the epidemic. The health ministry has prepared 150 thousand outfits for the persons infected by the virus.
The country also suspended flights to China and Saudi as the Tunisian Federation of Travel and tourism agency reported. An awareness campaign has been raised in the media to inform the public on the measure to prevent spread. An emergency telephone number operational was established for those experiencing symptoms of the virus.
The country will be in total lockdown from April 4, the Tunisian President Kais Saied, said.
- Morocco
On March 2, 2020, the first and the second case had originated from Italy. The first case was identified in Casablanca, with the third case being a French tourist.
This followed the Government of Morocco, setting up a hotline for inquiries about COVID-19. It also canceled all events with participants traveling from abroad and events, including more than 1000 people. Mosques, schools, cafes, and restaurants have been shut while sports and entertainment events and all international passenger flights have been banned.
The government also suspended direct flights to Beijing, Milan, and Venice. A mandatory quarantine has been put in place for travelers. It also continues to educate its public on the preventive measure to take, this was reported by the Moroccan Minister of Health public information on COVID-19.
Police are also arresting those opposing the strict measures against public gathering, those inciting others to ignore the instructions and those spreading fake news, including saying Coronavirus is not real.
So far, 109 has tested positive, and three have died.
- Ivory coast
The first case was reported in Abidjan on March 11 from an Ivorian who came from Italy. After experiencing a fever and a running nose, he took himself to the hospital, where he tested positive. The number of confirmed cases in the country is 14.
To deal with the epidemic, the government banned flights from China. All visitors are subjected to screening before entering the country. A hotline number is also available to encourage members of the public to volunteer information or share concerns about the virus.
- Democratic Republic of Congo
On March 10, the Ministry of Public Health in DRC reported the first case to test positive. The 52-year-old man who is Congolese national had returned to Kinshasa from his residence in France.
The Congolese government has deployed trained personnel and placed screening devices in airports. It also repatriated its citizens from China and called on to its citizens to postpone trips to Asia. Eteni Longondo, the Health Minister in Congo, banned flights from France, Italy, and China. 3 people have been confirmed positive.
- Ghana
The patients entered the country one week before symptoms started to show. The minister of Health Kwasi-Manu reported that the patients entered Ghana in a flight from Turkey. The country has confirmed 21 cases and one death.
A hundred-bed capacity facility has been set up inside one remote area to quarantine suspected cases
The president of Ghana banned official travel and flights to China. It also allocated $ 100milion to aid in infrastructure, buy equipment, materials, and public education.
- Kenya
A day after WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, Kenya confirmed its first case. The patient, a 27-year-old woman, traveled from the U.S. via London. Three days later, two new cases were confirmed.
President Uhuru Kenyatta addressed the nation and suspended all learning activities with immediate effect.
The president also banned the entry of travelers from any virus-hit country, international meetings, and conferences and requested employers to allow staff to work from home.
A 120-bed isolation center dedicated to coronavirus cases in case of an outbreak had earlier been set up inside state-owned Mbagathi Hospital in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.
One thousand one hundred health care workers have been trained, and additional health workers have been deployed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
On March 21, Health authorities embarked on a widescale fumigation exercise targeting public markets in Nairobi. Gikomba, Muthurwa, and Burma were all fumigated, in a bid to combat the spread of Coronavirus. Officials from the Ministry of Education also conducted training sessions sensitizing traders on handwashing.
On March 22, the government announced 8 more cases, bringing the total to 15.
- Ethiopia
On March 13, the first case was in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The patient was a Japanese national, who came in close contact with a 42-year old Ethiopian and two other Japanese nationals aged 47 and 44.
Ethiopia has quarantine 117 locals believed to have been in contact with the first patient, according to the Minister of Health of Ethiopia Dr Lia Tadesse.
The Ethiopian government has closed schools and banned public events as a measure to control the spread after a sixth case was reported. The government also announced the allocation of budget to supply masks, soaps, and other items in critical locations.
Currently, 11 cases have been confirmed.
- Rwanda
Rwanda confirmed the first case on March 14. An Indian man from Mumbai who arrived in the country on March 8 took himself to a health faculty. The cases have risen to 17.
The government suspended all public gatherings, closed places of worship, and closed schools. It also provided an emergency hotline.
- Tanzania
Tanzania first case is a 46-year-old woman who traveled from Belgium. The patient complained of not feeling well after arrival. The minister of health Ummy Mwalimu said the victim had been staying with a Coronavirus patient in Belgium. The number of coronavirus cases in Tanzania total up to 12.
In an attempt to control the spread of the virus, the government has put up measures such as enhancing screening and quarantine measures. There are flight cancellations and increasingly limited flight availability.
The cases of Coronavirus being reported in Africa are a result, imported transmission in most cases. The Governments of these states should put in place measures to reduce the spread, such as creating public awareness, improving the surveillance checks in the airports. The self-quarantine technique should be replaced, and suspects placed on strict medical surveillance from medical practitioners.