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1. Update on the situation
The number of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the WHO African Region is now 1,175,271 with 25,825 deaths. Since our last External Situation Report 30 issued on September 23, 2020, a total of 25,327 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 817 new deaths were reported in 45 countries between September 23 and September 29, 2020. This is a 13% decrease in incidence cases a 7% increase in deaths compared to 29,218 cases and 764 deaths recorded during the previous reporting period (September 17-24, 2020). Countries that reported the highest number of cases in the last seven days include; South Africa 9290 (37%), Ethiopia 4162 (16%),
Mozambique 1,442 (6%), Uganda 1,305 (5%) and Kenya 1,154 (5%). The incidence of cases has continued to decline in recent weeks, with South Africa continuing to consistently record the highest number of reported cases for many weeks, however, a decrease of 21% has been observed in the past seven days.
Thirty-one countries registered a decrease in new cases compared to 29 countries in the previous period, with 18 of them registering a decrease of more than 20%; Cameroon (62%), Gambia (61%), Equatorial Guinea (44%),
Chad (44%), South Sudan (43%), Zambia (43%), Comoros (39%), Senegal (30%), Benin (29%), Madagascar (28%), Burkina Faso (26%) , Guinea-Bissau (25%), Namibia (25%), Liberia (22%), Niger (22%), Algeria (22%),
Mali (21%) and South Africa (21%).
During the reporting period, 14 countries reported an increase in the case count; Burundi (700%), Mauritius (600%), Botswana (482%), São Tomé and Príncipe (200%), Lesotho (178%), Seychelles (100%), Côte d’Ivoire (51%), Cape Verde (30%), Kenya (27%), Congo (18%), Ghana (3 %%), Eritrea (3%), Mozambique (3%) and Mauritania (1%). Angola and Sierra Leone did not record any significant change in the incidence of cases.
Only the United Republic of Tanzania did not officially submit a report indicating any new confirmed cases.
A total of 289 new infections were reported in health workers from seven countries: Uganda (181), Mozambique (64), Eswatini (16), Namibia (14) and Guinea (12).
During this period, 817 new COVID-19-related deaths occurred in 28 countries, with 549 (67%) of the deaths recorded in South Africa. Ethiopia followed, with 64 (8%) deaths, Kenya with 48 (6%) and Algeria with 37 (5%). Ethiopia and Algeria registered a 15% and 35% decrease in deaths, respectively; while the number of deaths in Kenya and South Africa increased by 92% and 15% respectively.
The other 24 countries that reported new deaths during the reporting period include; Angola (24), Mozambique (14), Nigeria (11), Uganda (11), Cape Verde (7), Senegal (7), Togo (7), Namibia (5), Chad (4), Ghana (4) ,
Botswana (3), Madagascar (3), Cameroon (2), Swaziland (2), Gambia (2), Lesotho (2), Mali (2), Rwanda (2),
Zimbabwe (2), Guinea (1), Benin (1), Burkina Faso (1), Democratic Republic of the Congo (1) and Zambia (7).
As of September 29, 2020, a cumulative total of 1,175,271 COVID-19 cases were reported in the region, including 1,175,270 confirmed, with one probable case reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. South Africa has consistently recorded more than half, 57% (672,572), of all confirmed cases reported in the region. The other countries that have reported a large number of cases are Ethiopia (74,584), Nigeria (58,647), Algeria (51,368),
Ghana (46,482), Kenya (38,378), Cameroon (20,838), Côte d’Ivoire (19,669), Madagascar (16,377) and Senegal (14,919). Together, these 10 countries represent 86% (1,013,834) of all reported cases.
