DRCongo: Virus cases above 200, deaths at 20

KIGALI, Rwanda

The number of coronavirus cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo is now over 200, while two more fatalities have raised the death toll to 20, authorities said on Thursday.

The total COVID-19 cases stand at 207 after 24 more people tested positive on Wednesday, according to a statement by the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB).

The capital Kinshasa remains the country’s worst-hit area, with 23 of the 24 new cases reported in the city of over 11 million people.

At least 10 patients have recovered in the country so far, the statement added.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s death toll of 20 is the highest for any country in the Sub-Saharan region, followed by South Africa with 18 deaths.

However, South Africa has the highest number of COVID-19 cases – 1,875 – in all of Africa.

On March 24, a state of emergency was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where cases have now been reported in four provinces, including the northeastern Ituri province and the two Kivu provinces in the country’s east.

President Felix Tshisekedi closed all borders to non-essential traffic and banned all travel between the capital Kinshasa and the country's 25 provinces.

Two days later, a lockdown was enforced in the capital to stem the spread of the virus.

Since appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 184 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Nearly 1.5 million cases have been reported worldwide, with nearly 89,000 deaths, and almost 332,000 recoveries.