Africa’s fourth COVID wave flattens out after six-week surge

WHO said that this marked the shortest surge since the pandemic began connected the continent, wherever full cases person exceeded 10.2 million.

Recorded cases of corruption amusement that the play fig plateaued successful the 7 days starring up to 9 January, from the erstwhile week.

“Early indications suggest that Africa’s 4th question has been steep and little but nary little destabilizing”, said WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti.

Omicron connected record

In countries experiencing a surge successful cases, the fast-spreading Omicron variant has go the ascendant type.

While it took astir 4 weeks for the Delta variant to surpass the antecedently ascendant Beta, Omicron outpaced Delta wrong 2 weeks successful the worst-hit African countries, according to WHO.

Southern Africa saw a immense summation successful infections during the pandemic question but recorded a 14 per cent diminution successful confirmed cases implicit the past week.

And South Africa, wherever Omicron was archetypal reported, saw a 9 per cent autumn successful play infections.

While East and Central Africa regions besides experienced falling numbers of cases, North and West Africa are seeing a emergence successful infections, with North Africa reporting a 121 per cent summation implicit the past week, compared with the erstwhile 7 days.

“The important pandemic countermeasure severely needed successful Africa inactive stands, and that is rapidly and importantly expanding COVID-19 vaccinations”, said the elder WHO official. “The adjacent question mightiness not beryllium truthful forgiving”.

‘Concerted push’ needed’

Through grooming successful bioinformatics, specimen handling and different cardinal areas, WHO is supporting countries crossed the continent successful bolstering genomic sequencing to place caller mutations.

The Organization is besides helping to procure and present captious laboratory instrumentality and supplies.

So far, 30 African countries - and astatine slightest 142 worldwide - person detected the Omicron variant portion the Delta variant has been reported successful 42 African nations.

In West Africa, wherever COVID-19 cases are connected the rise, the fig of Omicron sequences undertaken by countries including Cabo Verde, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal, is growing.

And Omicron is presently the ascendant variant successful some Cabo Verde and Nigeria.

“We person the know-how and the tools and with a concerted propulsion we tin surely extremity the equilibrium against the pandemic”, said Dr. Moeti.

Stem variants, inoculate

While the continent appears to beryllium weathering the latest pandemic wave, lone astir 10 per cent of the colonisation person been afloat vaccinated.  

However, vaccine supplies to Africa person improved recently, and WHO is stepping up its enactment to countries to present doses to the wider population.

“This twelvemonth should people a turning constituent successful Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination drive”, said Dr. Moeti.

“With immense swaths of the colonisation inactive unvaccinated, our chances of limiting the emergence and interaction of deadly variants are frighteningly slim”, she added.