Africa CDC chief urges more COVID-19 testing as cases rise

The head of Africa’s top public health institute is urging authorities across the continent to step up COVID-19 testing amid a rise in new cases in some countries. The continent of 1.3 billion people saw a 37% rise in new cases over the past week, Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday. Over the last four weeks there’s been an 11% rise in new cases, he said. Vaccination rates in Africa continue to be low, largely because of short supplies and also because of hesitancy among some.