Africa braces for pandemic

ABUJA, Nigeria—Africa could see up to 10 million cases of COVID-19 by October without adequate health measures, Michael Yao, head of emergency operations for the World Health Organization Africa, said on Thursday. The pandemic could cause 300,000 deaths on the continent—and that’s a best-case scenario, according to a separate report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa based on models from the Imperial College London. Without adequate intervention, that number could swell to 3.3 million deaths and 1.2 billion infections.

Why the high numbers? Poverty and overcrowded living conditions make many countries on the continent susceptible to the pandemic, the UN report noted. Africa also has high rates of underlying health conditions like tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. African nations have already recorded nearly 19,000 cases and close to 1,000 deaths.

Dig deeper: Read my report in World Tour about how aid workers in conflict-hit areas are bracing for the pandemic.