Cases of Covid have plummeted in Africa and deaths are declining for the first time since the Omicron-dominated fourth wave of the virus reached its peak, the UN said Thursday. Describing the 56-day flareup as Africa’s “shortest upsurge yet,” the World Health Organization’s African regional office said newly reported cases fell by 20 percent in the week to Sunday, while notified deaths dropped by eight percent. Only North Africa reported an increase in cases last week, “with a 55 percent spike”, it said. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s regional director for Africa, warned however: “The continent has yet to turn the tables on this pandemic. The continent, with a population of 1.2 billion, has been relatively unscathed by the pandemic, reporting 234,913 deaths from 10.5 million cases, according to AFP tallies.

Source: The Guardian January 20, 2022 17:07 UTC