Africa records nearly 75,000 coronavirus cases to date

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

Africa has now seen a total of 75,447 coronavirus cases and counting, said a Friday update by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of these, 27,227 patients have recovered while 2,556 people have so far died, bringing the number of active cases in the continent to 45,664.

North Africa continued to be the worst affected of the continent’s five geographical regions with 25,000 cases followed by West Africa with 22,200, Southern Africa with 13,900, East Africa with 7,300, and Central Africa with 7,000.

In terms of regional death tolls, North Africa was the worst affected with 1,300 deaths while West Africa suffered 464 fatalities, Central Africa 269, Southern Africa 257, and East Africa 226.

The nation of South Africa had the most virus cases with 12,700 followed by Egypt with 10,800 cases. In terms of death toll, however, South Africa’s 238 fatalities were about half of Egypt’s 571.

In the West, Nigeria suffered 167 fatalities, Burkina Faso 51, Niger 50, Mali 46, Sierra Leone 26, Ghana and Ivory Coast 24 each, Senegal 23, Liberia 20, Guinea 14, Togo 11, Guinea Bissau three, and Cabo Verde and Benin two each.

In East Africa, Sudan saw the highest death toll of 91, followed by Somalia with 53, Kenya with 42, Tanzania with 21, Mauritius with 10, Ethiopia with five, and Djibouti with three.