Africa on leaderboard with 46% of cases
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
About 1,000 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been reported across 57 countries worldwide with 10 African countries accounting for 46 per cent, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The WHO says the majority of these countries are within southern Africa, where scientists are being extra-vigilant for other cases and are analysing samples to check for changes to the virus.
Hospitalisation rates and severe cases remain low in South Africa, local data shows. But research is still ongoing, the WHO says, reported by the BBC.
The WHO warns that travel bans won’t stop the virus from circulating, but says getting vaccines into people’s arms will prevent the virus from mutating further.
Only Mauritius, Morocco, Tunisia, Seychelles, Cape Verde and Botswana on the African continent have reached the global target of vaccinating 40 per cent of their populations by the end of this year.
Many African countries are yet to administer jabs for logistical reasons, while public scepticism about getting the vaccine remains a barrier.
Nigeria with a population of 206 million conducts about 0.07 tests per 1,000 people a day.
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Africa records 107,000 extra cases
WHO Africa said the continent had recorded 107,000 extra cases in the week to Sunday December 5, compared with 55,000 the previous week.
Omicron “is reaching more countries in Africa,” it said, and research was being stepped up to see whether the new variant was specifically behind the sharp rise.
The biggest surge in numbers – 140 per cent on average – was in the southern part of the continent.
However, in South Africa, which discovered the new variant last month, “severe cases remain low,” the WHO said in its latest weekly online briefing.
“Emerging data from South Africa indicates that Omicron may cause less severe illness,” it said.
“Data which looked at hospitalisations across South Africa between 14 November and 4 December found that ICU (intensive care unit) occupancy was only 6.3 per cent.
“(This) is very low compared with the same period when the country was facing the peak linked to the Delta variant in July.”
The WHO reiterated its objection to travel restrictions issued by more than 70 countries and overwhelmingly aimed at southern Africa, even though countries in the region had been “transparent with their data.”
It urged Africa to step up vaccinations as only 7.8 per cent of its 1.2 billion people have been jabbed.
The biggest laggards in immunisation are Chad, Djibouti and Democratic Republic of Congo.
A new vaccine supply system is being set in place to help African countries distribute them more easily, said Richard Mihigo, WHO Africa vaccination programme coordinator.
Covid cases in Nigeria
With about 90 cases identified a day over the past week, reported Covid cases in Nigeria are far lower than in most of Europe – but testing in Africa is way below European levels, the BBC reports.
During the last week of November, Nigeria completed about 0.07 tests per 1,000 people a day, compared with about 14 per 1,000 in the UK and about eight per 1,000 in France.
But in the week up to 2 December, Nigeria still identified fewer cases per test than several European countries – and South Africa.