Algeria has recorded the most deaths on the African continent from the coronavirus (COVID-19) infection with 235. The country is second on the continent to South Africa with regards to infections, registering 1 666 whereas SA has 2003 and 24 deaths.
The World Health Organisation African Region says Africa now has more than 11 900 cases of coronavirus with 608 deaths. However, over 1 500 people have recovered from the infection.
Globally, there are 1.6 million infections with over 95 000 deaths recorded. Some 354 000 people have recovered.
In the video below, experts from the WHO, UNICEF and the International Organisation for Migration and other groups brief the media on COVID-19 in Africa.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune urged Algerians to be “disciplined” to help overcome COVID-19 as the number of cases and deaths rose. Some Algerians have ignored steps taken by the government to limit the spread of the virus, including a night curfew in ten provinces and a full lockdown in the Bilda area, south of the capital Algiers.
“You must be disciplined. We lack discipline,” Tebboune said at the beginning of April. “People must respect preventive measures and doctors’ advice.”
The Algerian government said it will spend $100 million to import equipment, including 100 million masks from China in addition to a local production of 90 000 masks per day.
“We have enough capabilities to cope with the crisis,” Tebboune said. “Regarding food, we have stocks for at least five months. There is no reason to panic.”
