Although the African continent is still far behind Europe, Asia, and North America in the number of cases of coronavirus that has been confirmed, the disease has managed to reach at least half or more of the countries. Algeria has 48 confirmed cases, Egypt 110, while South Africa has 62, according to the World Health Organization and national governments on Monday.
Other countries have far fewer cases, as of today, at least, but the numbers are expected to rise, say health authorities. Somalia, Liberia, and Tanzania registered their first cases on Monday. According to The Guardian, most of the cases have been brought to the continent by travelers from overseas but increasing numbers of internal transmissions are being recorded.
African nations have begun imposing travel restrictions due to the number of cases being brought into the continent. Algeria cut off all air and sea contact with Europe, effective Thursday, and Botswana barred travelers from 18 high-risk countries. South Africa has revoked 10,000 visas issued to people from China and Iran, two of the hardest-hit countries, reports the Associated Press.
A ticking time bomb
The handling of the COVID-19 virus in Africa has been given scant global attention – but that is about to change. The worry is that the virus may ravage countries with weak health systems and a population disproportionately affected by HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and other infectious diseases.
Large parts of Somalia still remain under the control of the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group. This group has been accused of targeting aid groups and often carries out attacks on the country’s capital, Mogadishu. There are other African nations where prolonged drought has left people weak and near starving.
Some scientists believe COVID-19 is circulating silently in many African countries. “My concern is that we have this ticking time bomb,” says Bruce Bassett, a data scientist at the University of Cape Town who has been tracking COVID-19 data since January, according to Science Magazine.
“We have to ask the question: How strong are our monitoring systems, especially those in rural areas or with limited technology? That is a reality on the continent and perhaps why we have not yet seen a surge in cases,” public health researcher Dr. Shakira Choonara told The Associated Press.
There is one shining light to consider. In January, when the COVID-19 virus began to make the global news – only South Africa and Senegal had laboratories capable of testing for coronavirus. Today, over 40 countries have such facilities.
