SA continues to dominate COVID-19 figures in Africa: WHO African Region

South Africa continues to dominate the figures of coronavirus cases and deaths on the continent. The World Health Organisation (WHO) African Region says over 748 000 cases have been confirmed on the African continent – with more than 409 000 recoveries and over 15 000 deaths.

South Africa accounts for over half of the cases and over a third of the total number of COVID-related deaths.

No other country in Africa has breached the 100 000 mark in terms of cases. And the highest number of deaths other than SA is recorded in Egypt with just over 4 000.

The virus hit Africa later than other continents and transmission rates are lower than elsewhere. Still, this could translate into a prolonged, years-long outbreak, WHO said in May.

Most countries on the continent have imposed restrictions on public gatherings and international travel and introduced curfews among other steps meant to curb the spread of the virus.

Although many have also started gradually easing lockdowns to reopen hard-hit economies, governments are alert to the fact that opening up too quickly could lead to a spike in new cases.

The Reuters tally put South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria as the leading countries with cases on the continent.

More than 600 000 died globally

More than 15.01 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 616 276 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. -Additional reporting by Reuters

Below is the breakdown of the stats for South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world as at July 21, 2020: