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ADDIS ABABA, Aug.30 (Xinhua) – The African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) said on Tuesday that the number of positive COVID-19 cases across the African continent rose to 1,237,070 amid of the growing impact on African economies.
Africa’s CDC, which noted that only five African countries account for more than 70 percent of all COVID-19 infections on the continent, also stressed that the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic rose to 29,430 on Sunday.
Some 968,962 people infected with COVID-19 have recovered across the continent so far, it said.
Amid the rapid spread of the virus across the continent, South Africa alone accounts for around 50 percent of all COVID-19 infections on the continent, followed by Egypt, which has eight percent of all COVID-19 infections. COVID-19 on the continent, the CDC of Africa said. .
The continental disease control and prevention agency said South Africa is far ahead compared to the rest of the continent, both in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases and the proportion of the population infected with COVID-19, the country has reported so far 622,551 cases and 13,981 deaths as of Sunday.
The southern African country, which has so far recorded 536,694 COVID-19 recoveries, has 1,060 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the Africa CDC.
Egypt is the second most affected country by COVID-19 with 98,497 positive cases and 5,376 COVID-19 related deaths, it was noted.
Morocco, which has so far reported 60,056 positive cases and 1,078 deaths, ranks third with five percent of all COVID-19 infections on the continent, while Nigeria and Ethiopia rank first on the list of five. Nigeria has so far reported 53,727 positive cases and 1,011 deaths related to COVID-19, according to the CDC of Africa.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ethiopia reached 49,654 as of Sunday morning, while the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the East African country stood at 770, the country’s Health Ministry said. About 18,116 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 were noted to have recovered.
Noting that member states have reported a total of 11.4 million tests with an overall test rate per confirmed case of 9.5, the African CDC underscored that some 11 African countries contribute 80 percent of the tests. tests carried out so far, which are South Africa and Morocco. , Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Mauritius and Cameroon.
Meanwhile, in addition to the health impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, the AU also revealed that the pandemic has exacerbated an “already dire” internal income situation across the entire African continent. “
“Without question, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a devastating situation for health systems and national revenues globally. Governments continue to put pressure on their tax revenues while implementing emergency measures and recovery plans. to sustain economies, “said Victor Harison, Commissioner for the Economy of the AU. Matters, he said Friday.
“This also has a significant negative effect on tax revenue, which provides a substantial source of revenue for most nations. In many African countries, the pandemic has exacerbated an already dire tax revenue situation,” added the Affairs Commissioner. Economics of the UA.
Figures from the 55-member pan-African bloc show that Africa’s GDP growth is projected to be between -4.9 percent and -2.1 percent in 2020, leading to a reduction of between 135 billion of US dollars and 204 billion US dollars since before COVID. -19 GDP of US $ 2.59 trillion.
According to the AU, the COVID-19 crisis has increased poverty and the African Development Bank (AfDB) estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic will push between 28.2 million and 49.2 million more Africans into extreme poverty. .
Noting that the contracting economies are expected to translate into weaker fiscal positions for governments across the continent at a time of greatest need, the AU said the impact of the pandemic will negatively impact domestic resource mobilization efforts and it will likely lead to a reduction in development assistance abroad. while donor countries face their own cash shortages amid economic turmoil. Final product
