African nations warned of second wave of coronavirus outbreak

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC, has urged African countries to avoid complacency and continue observing health guidelines and protocols to ensure the continent is not hit by a second wave of COVID- 19.

John Nkengasong, director of the Africa CDC, said African countries should remain vigilant and keenly observe the current trend in Europe, where cases have recently spiked.

The number of confirmed cases in the African continent has reached 1,674,592, the Africa CDC said on Thursday.

Between April and July, Europe bent the infection curve but now it is being engulfed by a second wave of infections, with some countries imposing a raft of nationwide restrictions to curb the alarming spread of the virus.

At a virtual news conference on Thursday, Nkengasong said Africa had recorded a 10- percent decrease in the number of new cases compared to the previous week when it had reported a 14 percent increase.

However, over the last 4 weeks, Nkengasong said the continent has recorded an average 4 percent increase in the number of new cases, with the north African region leading with 7 percent, followed by the central region with 6 percent, the eastern region with 5 percent and the southern region with 1 percent. The western region though has logged a decline of 5 percent.

Among the most populous countries in the continent, Kenya has reported the highest number of new cases, having recorded a 42 percent increase in new cases over the last four weeks.

Containment measures

Mutahi Kagwe, the cabinet secretary for health, warned Kenyans on Oct 18 that the country could experience a second wave of infections unless they take the containment measures by the authorities seriously.

Kenya has lifted the strict measures that saw bars reopen and a phased reopening of schools kick off. However, three schools have been closed in Kenya’s port city of Mombasa barely two weeks after the reopening after teachers tested positive for coronavirus.

With many other African countries having started the phased reopening of schools, Nkengasong urged countries to open the learning institutions safely by ensuring they have abundant personal protective materials available and that they are used appropriately.

“Make sure classes are reconfigured to allow social distancing, and encourage outdoor activities frequently. Importantly, increase surveillance both in schools and in the community,” he said.

In countries where the level of infection is less than 5 percent, Nkengasong said school systems can continue to operate with increased vigilance for testing. If the number rises to over 10 percent, then it means there is a lot of community transmission going on and it will be dangerous to continue allowing schools to operate.

Cyril Ramaphosa, chairman of the African Union and the president of South Africa, said on Thursday the AU remains optimistic that the momentum of the fight against coronavirus will not be lost and they will ensure that all outstanding work is completed.

“The pandemic has shown a great deal of resilience and countries that have experienced a decline in infections have also encountered surges in infections that have made them revisit the lockdown measures. We must try to avoid that scenario in Africa,” Ramaphosa said.

The Africa CDC is optimistic the rollout of the World Health Organization approved antigen- based rapid diagnostic tests for coronavirus will help in boosting testing capacity, help pick up any cluster of infections, and deal with it effectively.

The pandemic has shown a great deal of resilience and countries that have experienced a decline in infections have also encountered surges in infections that have made them revisit the lockdown measures.”

Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa and AU chairman