The Covid-19 cases in Africa on Friday, March 12 hit four million (005,204 by press time) and over 106,000 deaths as the World Health Organisations shows optimism after more countries on the continent rolled out vaccination exercise to contain the virus. Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa said this while discussing the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines during a virtual meeting where it was noted that the year-long battle against the virus is now receiving a crucial boost with the arrival of vaccines through the COVAX Facility – a multi-partner vaccine procurement platform. She added that the continent has experienced a plateau over the past three weeks, at around 70,000 new cases per week. As noted, the African Region, which encompasses has now passed a grim milestone of more than 100,000 health workers infected with Covid-19. 11 health workers are known to have contracted Covid-19 every hour in this pandemic, accounting for 3.5 percent of all confirmed cases in the Region, she said. With Covid-19 vaccines now reaching the continent in limited numbers, health workers must be at the front of the queue. The virus has claimed more than 106,000 lives on the continent. COVAX shipments continue at a rapid pace Moeti said the COVAX shipments continue at a rapid pace, and as of Wednesday, almost 14.8 million doses had been delivered to 22 African countries. Some 19 African countries have started vaccination campaigns, and through COVAX, more than 518,000 doses have been administered, she noted. Rwanda began the Covid-19 vaccination exercise on March 5 and has so far vaccinated 230,000 people, equivalent to almost 2 percent of its total 12 million population. President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame were on Thursday vaccinated. Kagame became the first leader in East Africa to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Rwanda has confirmed 19,846 Covid-19 cases, of whom 18,118 have recovered, with its Covid-19 death toll standing at 271. Much-awaited boost While deaths reported have dropped by more than 50% over the past 28 days compared with the previous 28 days, the case fatality ratio or the proportion of deaths is at 3.6% for the past 28 days. This is higher than the global average, according to WHO. With Covid-19 vaccine deliveries picking up speed, it is noted, the response to the pandemic is getting a much-awaited boost. More than 14.6 million vaccine doses have been delivered to 22 African countries since February 24 through COVAX, an effort co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with UNICEF. Six countries including Rwanda started vaccination using COVAX-funded vaccines, while 10 began with vaccines procured outside the COVAX Facility – either bilaterally or through donations. “Every new Covid-19 vaccine delivery to Africa is a step towards equity and ensuring we get our lives and livelihoods back,” said Moeti. “But doses will remain limited and it’s critical that frontline health workers and other priority groups are at the front of the queue. Health workers deserve protection because without their pivotal role, efforts against the pandemic can go only so far.” It is noted that the pandemic has heavily jolted the health workforce in the African region. “The pandemic has nearly knocked loose the linchpin of the health systems in many countries,” said Dr Moeti. “We must further protect and equip our health workers to effectively contribute to the efforts to contain Covid-19. Everyone’s wellbeing is at stake without an adequately supported health workforce.” Several studies have identified lack of personal protective equipment, exposure to Covid-19 patients, work overload, poor infection prevention and control measures as the main risk factors associated with infections in health facilities. According to WHO, diagnosis of the virus in the African region has improved greatly over the past three months, with tests nearly doubling to 243 per 10,000 people up from 149 tests per 10 000 people. More than 27 million tests have been performed in the region to date.
