Most countries on the continent have put in place restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus
BRAZZAVILLE, July 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The outbreak of the new coronavirus has reached every nation in Africa, a continent of 1.2 billion people.
As of July 19, the confirmed coronavirus death toll on the continent stood at 14,864, with fatalities including the former President of the Republic of the Congo Jacques Joachim Yhombi-Opango and Somalia’s former Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein.
There are 683,905 confirmed infections and 362,586 recoveries, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts warn fragile healthcare systems in many African countries could be overwhelmed in the face of a severe outbreak of COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
The World Health Organization reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases for the second day in a row, with the total rising by 259,848 in 24 hours.
The biggest increases reported on Saturday were from the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa, according to a daily report. The previous WHO record for new cases was 237,743 on Friday. Deaths rose by 7,360, the biggest one-day increase since May 10. Deaths have been averaging 4,800 a day in July, up slightly from an average of 4,600 a day in June.
Total global coronavirus cases surpassed 14 million on Friday, marking another milestone in the spread of the disease that has killed nearly 600,000 people in seven months.
The WHO reported 71,484 new cases in the United States, 45,403 in Brazil, 34,884 in India and 13,373 in South Africa. — NNN-AGENCIES
