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Addis Ababa, January 2 (IANS): The African Union (AU) has urged all countries on the continent to ensure economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic at the start of the New Year.
“By marking the end of the year 2020, we also mark the end of one of the most extraordinary and challenging years in living memory,” AU President Moussa Faki Mahamat said on Friday, citing the Xinhua news agency, in a statement.
Mahamat warned that “the challenging task of protecting our health and livelihoods, while ensuring the recovery of our economies, still lies ahead as we begin a new year.”
According to Mahamat, the AU’s continental response initiative, as part of the 55-member pan-African bloc’s aspiration to support member states with preparedness, response and recovery from public health emergencies, initiated early and quickly by the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC of Africa).
Mahamat’s comments came as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases on the African continent rose to 2,759,313.
The continental disease control and prevention agency said in a statement that the death toll from the pandemic has reached 65,480.
The UA’s public health agency also said that so far a total of 2,289,156 people infected with Covid-19 have recovered across the continent.
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