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WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

WHO announces first technology recipients of mRNA vaccine hub with strong support from African and European partners

Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia to establish mRNA vaccine production

At the European Union - African Union summit in Brussels today WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced the first six countries that will receive the technology needed to produce mRNA vaccines on the African continent. Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia all applied and have been selected…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Coronavirus - Africa: Nine in 10 African countries set to miss urgent COVID-19 vaccination goal

At 32 million doses, Africa accounts for under 1% of the over 2.1 billion doses administered globally

As COVID-19 cases in Africa rise for the third week running and vaccines are increasingly scarce, 47 of Africa’s 54 countries—nearly 90%—are set to miss the September target of vaccinating 10% of their people unless Africa receives 225 million more doses. The new global targets were announced recently at the…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Coronavirus - Africa: COVID-19 Genome Sequencing Laboratory Network Launches in Africa

Ongoing sequencing is already providing crucial information for determining the type of SARS-CoV-2 lineage circulating in some countries

With several African countries now expanding COVID-19 testing, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have launched a network of laboratories to reinforce genome sequencing of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, in Africa.…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Coronavirus: Africa closes in on one million COVID-19 cases

Overall, the pandemic is accelerating with the number of new cases increasing by 50% during the last 14 days compared with the previous fortnight

COVID-19 infections in Africa will exceed one million cases in the coming days as the pandemic surges in several hotspot countries. In a little more than three weeks, the number of cases on the continent almost doubled to 889 457, with 18 806 deaths. Overall, the pandemic is accelerating with…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

WHO Africa Online Press Briefing on COVID-19 in Africa

The briefing is on-the-record and it is an opportunity for you to ask questions about the COVID-19 in Africa

Please join an online media briefing with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa (www.afro.who.int), Dr. Matshidiso Moeti and World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari. The briefing is on-the-record and it is an opportunity for you to ask questions about the…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Coronavirus: Africa records over 500 000 COVID-19 cases

Cases have more than doubled in 22 countries in the region over the past month

COVID-19 infections in Africa today surpassed 500 000, and there is concern as a growing number of countries are experiencing a sharp rise in cases. So far, in less than five months, the virus has claimed 11 959 lives, overtaking the 11 308 lives lost in the world’s worst Ebola outbreak in West…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Coronavirus - Africa records over 200,000 COVID-19 cases

Ten out of 54 countries are currently driving the rise in numbers, accounting for nearly 80% of all the cases

COVID-19 continues to spread in Africa since the virus was first detected on the continent in mid-February 2020. More than 200 000 cases have been confirmed so far, with more than 5600 deaths. The pandemic is accelerating – it took 98 days to reach 100 000 cases and only 18…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Coronavirus - Africa: COVID-19 cases top 10 000 in Africa

Reaching the continent through travellers returning from hotspots in Asia, Europe and the United States, Africa’s first COVID-19 case was recorded in Egypt on 14 February

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has risen to more than 10 000 and caused more than 500 deaths. While the virus was slow to reach the continent compared to other parts of the world, infection has grown exponentially in recent weeks and continues to spread. Reaching the…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Coronavirus – Africa: COVID-19 cases top 10000 in Africa

World Health Organization (WHO) is working with governments across Africa to scale up their capacities in critical response areas

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has risen to more than 10 000 and caused more than 500 deaths. While the virus was slow to reach the continent compared to other parts of the world, infection has grown exponentially in recent weeks and continues to spread. Reaching the…

WHO Regional Office for Africa

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    • Dr Edith NKWEMBE, Microbiologist of INRB DRC using laboratory reagents to identify COVID-19
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Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

First case of COVID-19 confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The DRC is one of ten countries in Africa to have confirmed a case of COVID-19

The Ministry of Public Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported the country’s first case of COVID-19. Health authorities said tests found that a Congolese national, who had recently returned to Kinshasa from his residence in France had tested positive for the virus. The DRC is…