Most African countries have put in place fewer restriction measures during the second wave of Covid-19, yet marked by 30% more contamination, shows one of the few studies devoted to the impact of the pandemic on this continent.
Read also: Covid-19: why Africa is resisting better than expected
Between mid-February and the end of December 2020, 2.8 million cases of coronavirus infections were recorded in the 55 countries of the African Union, or only 3% of the global total, and 65,602 deaths were recorded, calculates this study, published Thursday in the British journal
The Lancet
.
The rapid and coordinated reaction of African countries to face the pandemic, with first measures on average 15 days before the detection of the first case on their territory,
"probably limited the severity of the first wave"
, believe the researchers, from including the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention, based in Ethiopia, the Moroccan Ministry of Health and the South African Institute of Contagious Diseases.
On the other hand, the relaxation that followed and the decline in the populations' adherence to prevention measures and restrictions, often out of economic necessity,
"contributed to the greater impact observed during the second wave"
, analyze the authors.
The average number of contaminations at the end of December, when two-thirds of the countries of the continent were crossing or had just crossed a second wave, stood at 23,790 per day, or 30% more than the peak of the first wave, mid- July 2020, where 18,273 cases per day on average were counted.
Read also: The multiple vulnerabilities of Africa in the face of the coronavirus
In addition, if the continent is globally less affected than the rest of the world, the incidence rate is comparable to the world average in certain countries such as Cape Verde, South Africa, Libya and Morocco, observes the study.
And three quarters of the deaths due to Covid listed are concentrated in five countries (South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria).
African countries, where vaccination campaigns are at best beginning,
"will probably face other waves of Covid-19"
, stress the researchers.
According to the WHO, only 0.1% of vaccine doses administered worldwide have been administered in "low income" countries, while "high income" countries (16% of the world population) concentrate more half of the injected doses (56%).
In this context, their study shows
"the need to continue to monitor and analyze"
the health situation on the continent, to improve screening capacities and to renew efforts to get populations to adhere to public health measures, they believe. .
