The deaths related to Coronavirus in Africa may continue to decline by 94% compared to the last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
The statement of the WHO highlighted that the African countries faced some challenges while resisting the pandemic due to the shortage of available vaccine doses. But now, the majority of the African countries have now the required number of doses for protecting their people, however, people are still confused about the concept of vaccination.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa said: “Last year, we lost an average of 970 people every day. This is a catastrophically high toll.”
He added: “Our latest analysis suggests that estimated deaths in the African region will shrink to around 60 a day in 2022. The low number of deaths expected this year is a huge achievement for the region and a testament to the efforts of countries and partners. However, the job is not yet done. Every time we sit back and relax, COVID-19 flares up again. The threat of new variants remains real, and we need to be ready to cope with this ever-present danger.”
The modelling suggests that the expected number of deaths in Africa this year is 23 thousand deaths, compared to 112, 102 thousand recorded deaths.
Moeti explained: “We have learnt many lessons on how to stay a step ahead of the virus,” said Dr Moeti. “Now is the time to refine our response and identify populations most at-risk of COVID-19. Countries must intensify efforts to conduct a targeted response that provides the most vulnerable people with the health services they need, including COVID-19 vaccines and effective treatment.”
In May, the continent reported 11.8 million COVID-19 infections and 250 thousand deaths.
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