Original title: WHO: Africa is facing the worst wave of epidemics so far, 14 countries have found “Delta”
Since the third wave of the epidemic broke out on May 3 this year, the number of newly infected people on the African continent has risen for five consecutive weeks.
Africa is currently experiencing a new peak of the epidemic, with a rapid increase in cases, and it is expected that it will soon surpass the record set during the second wave of the epidemic at the beginning of this year.
This is what the African Region Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed at an online press conference on the 24th.
Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Director for Africa, said: “The third wave of the epidemic is intensifying, spreading faster and causing more severe blows. The rapid increase in the number of cases and reports of severe illnesses mean that this may become a reality. The African continent has experienced the most serious wave of epidemics so far. Africa can still take measures to reduce the impact of the rapidly increasing infections, but the time is passing.”
Specifically, according to WHO data, since the beginning of the third wave of the epidemic on May 3 this year, the number of new infections on the African continent has increased for five consecutive weeks. In the 48 days as of June 20, the cumulative number of newly confirmed cases has nearly 474,000 cases, 21% higher than the data in the second wave of the epidemic. According to this trend, the number of cases is expected to exceed the peak of the previous wave of epidemics in early July.
“Delta” found in 14 countries
The WHO African region stated that currently, 12 countries in Africa have seen a rebound in the epidemic. The main reasons for this situation include poor implementation of public health and epidemic prevention measures, increased social interaction and personnel mobility, and the spread of mutant viruses.
For example, the WHO found that in the Democratic Republic of Congo, almost all samples that were sequenced in the past month had detected the highly infectious “Delta” mutant virus.In the entire African continent, 14 countries have reported the discovery of this mutant virus.
At present, WHO is sending more experts to Uganda and Zambia and other most affected countries, and at the same time providing more support to regional laboratories in South Africa to closely monitor the mutant virus that has caused concern.
At the same time, WHO is also using innovative technology to provide support to other laboratories in the region that lack gene sequencing capabilities in order to better monitor the evolution of the virus.
WHO hopes to increase the number of virus samples that are sequenced every month in southern African countries by eight to ten times in the next six months.
Africa accounts for less than 1.5% of global vaccinations
The WHO Africa region stated that the supply of new crown vaccines in Africa is still very tight.
According to statistics, 18 African countries have used 80% of the vaccines obtained through the “New Crown Vaccine Access Mechanism (COVAX)”, of which 8 countries have exhausted all vaccine stocks, and 29 countries have used them 50% of the vaccines obtained.
despite this,The proportion of people on the African continent who have completed full-dose vaccination has just exceeded 1%. Among the nearly 2.7 billion doses of new crown vaccine that have been vaccinated globally, Africa accounts for less than 1.5%.
Facing the accelerated spread of the third wave of the epidemic in Africa, with the support of the WHO, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Bank (hereinafter referred to as the “World Bank”), Africa is planning to build the region’s vaccine production.
A few days ago, WHO stated that WHO and its “COVAX partners are cooperating with a consortium composed of a number of South African enterprises, institutions and universities to establish the first messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine technology transfer center in South Africa.
WTO Director-General Okonjo Ivira said on the 21st that Africa is currently cooperating with the European Union and other partners to build regional vaccine production centers in South Africa, Senegal and Rwanda. Nigeria is also under consideration.
Soumya Swaminathan, the chief scientist of WHO, predicted that he can expect to see South Africa produce a vaccine in the next 9 to 12 months.
While waiting for the “Made in Africa” vaccine, all parties are also discussing how to quickly promote the procurement of vaccines on the African continent and avoid the third wave of outbreaks.
On the 21st, the finance ministers of African countries and the World Bank held a meeting to discuss promoting the African Union’s goal of vaccinating 60% of the African continent’s population by 2022. The World Bank and the African Union announced their joint support for the African Vaccine Access Task Force (AVATT) initiative. Provide funds to various countries to purchase and vaccinate 400 million people in Africa.
AVATT was jointly initiated by the African Union Commission, the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the African Export-Import Bank, the AU Special Envoy for the New Coronary Pneumonia and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The purpose is to provide the African continent with sufficient and timely new coronavirus vaccines. It has now been negotiated for 220 million doses of Johnson & Johnson The company’s Janssen vaccines are used in African countries and can optionally increase 180 million doses based on demand.
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