Director of the Africa CDC calls COVID-19 an existential threat to the continent

This week, the UN Economic Commission for Africa issued a projection that an estimated 300,000 and 3.3 million African people could lose their lives as a direct result of COVID-19, depending on the intervention that governments introduce. As all 55 African countries are now reporting cases, the Director of the Africa CDC called COVID-19 an existential threat to the continent. Increased local transmission also contributing to exponential growth in some regions, particularly in the 24 countries that have confirmed at least 100 cases. As of this morning, there are almost 1,000 deaths and over 18,500 confirmed cases across Africa, representing a 30% increase over the past week.