The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the current rise in COVID-19 cases in Africa is “extremely worrying” as more countries record increases in cases.
The WHO says the spread of new variants of the coronavirus, including the Delta variant, is partly behind the surge.
The WHO says the number of cases and deaths in Africa has increased almost 40% in the past week and in some countries the number of deaths has tripled or even quadrupled.
Cases are on the upward trend in at least 12 countries with South Africa, Uganda, Namibia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Tunisia and Rwanda among the counties worst affected.
The continent also lags behind with vaccinations accounting for just under 1.5% of all the vaccines administered globally so far.
The WHO says that the arrival of cooler winter weather in Southern Africa has increased the risk of infection, across the continent cases are rising at a faster rate compared to other waves and are expected to surpass the peak of the second wave recorded in January 2021.
