African countries urged to increase vigilance during the holidays

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday urged African countries to intensify surveillance to prevent an increase in positive COVID-19 cases during the Christmas season.

Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said the Christmas season, whose hallmark is intensive mobility and family reunions, could reverse the progress made towards containing the pandemic.

“As we approach the time of year when people move to vacation together, there is an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission,” Moeti said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

He warned that new groups could emerge during the holiday season in the sub-Saharan Africa region if communities do not adhere to public health guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.

“But we can reduce risks by wearing masks, limiting the number of people who gather, observing physical distancing, and practicing good hand hygiene,” Moeti said.

The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Africa amounted to 2,013,388 and 48,408 respectively on Thursday according to statistics from the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The continent has seen an increase in infections since October with WHO statistics indicating that 19 countries have reported an increase of more than 20 percent in new cases in the last 28 days compared to the previous four weeks.

On a positive note, 17 countries have experienced a more than 20 percent drop in the number of new positive cases in the past 28 days thanks to the effectiveness of containment measures.

Moeti said the reopening of economies and failure to adhere to public health guidelines such as frequent hand washing, face covering and physical distancing were behind the rise in infections in Africa.

“There is a certain level of fatigue around the virus and the upcoming Christmas season could exacerbate the risks,” Moeti said, adding that targeted interventions such as widespread testing and contact tracing are key to containing the pandemic.

He said African governments should strengthen local health systems to improve their ability to respond quickly to new clusters during the Christmas season.

Moeti said localized interventions must place an emphasis on strong evidence, contact tracing and improved protection of vulnerable demographics to avoid strain on healthcare facilities that could trigger an increase in deaths.