COVID-19 deaths in Africa cross 200,000 mark
Over 200,000 people have died from COVID-19 across Africa since the start of the pandemic, according to officials records as of Tuesday evening.
The 54 African countries still
have lower official fatalities compared to other parts of the world but there
is concern that many COVID-19 related deaths are not reported.
The figures are
based on tolls communicated daily day by health authorities in each country or
by the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) and include the countries of North
Africa.
The total number of infections
is also likely to be an under-estimate, given insufficient testing capacity in
Africa.
"It's probably a lot higher
than that," said researcher Glenda Davidson of South Africa's Cape
Peninsula University of Technology. "Testing resources are very low on the
continent."
Death registration processes were
often delayed and inaccurate, she added.
The current drop in the
continent's tally is a result of declining numbers in countries with the
highest number of deaths.
The current death toll in South
Africa stands at 83,899. Last week the daily average was 7,400 for new cases
and deaths 234 which is significantly lower than in late July, when the daily
average was as many as 20,000 new cases and 420 deaths.
The global
coronavirus caseload has topped 221.8 million, while the deaths have surged to
more than 4.58 million and vaccinations soared to over 5.52 billion, according
to Johns Hopkins University.
The US
continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases
and deaths at 40,279,567 and 650,511 respectively.
Meanwhile, Africa still has the
lowest vaccination rate globally, with only eight jabs administered per 100
inhabitants, compared with 102 in Europe and 116 in the United States and
Canada.
According to the WHO, only three
percent of sub-Saharan Africa's population are fully vaccinated. By comparison,
52 percent of people are fully vaccinated in the United States of America and
57 percent in the European Union.
"The inequity is deeply
disturbing. Just two percent of the over five billion doses given globally have
been administered in Africa," WHO Africa chief Dr Matshidiso Moeti said
last week.
Last week, the WHO said 42 of the
continent's 54 nations were expected to miss their vaccination targets.
"Vaccine hoarding has held
Africa back and we urgently need more vaccines," said Moeti.
According to some estimates, wealthy countries could potentially have a surplus of more than one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses available by the end of the year that are not designated as donations to poorer nations.