UPDATE: CORONAVIRUS IN AFRICA

By our Staff Reporter

There are now more than 1,400 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the continent, with a number of African countries imposing a range of prevention and containment measures against the spread of the pandemic.

According to the latest data, of the WHO on COVID-19 in Africa, the breakdown remains fluid as countries confirm cases as and when. The whole of Africa has rising cases with a sizeable number of countries holding out.

We shall keep updating this list which will be put in sub-continental blocs: East, West, Central, southern and North Africa.

The classifications are based on where the countries are located especially in the case of countries that belong to two different blocs, like Tanzania in East Africa, despite belonging to EAC and SADC.

• Wednesday becoming the 34th infected African country
• Chad reported first case on Thursday March 19 becoming 35th infected nation.
• Niger, via a tweet by President Issoufou also reported their index case on Thursday March 19 becoming 36th infected nation.
• Cape Verde government reported on Friday that a British national had tested positive becoming its index patient.
• Zimbabwe late Friday confirmed its index case, becoming 38th infected country and 5th in the southern Africa region
• Uganda, Eritrea, Angola and Madagascar recorded index case on Saturday, March 21
• Mozambique confirmed index case on March 22 becoming the 43rd infected nation

North Africa

• Algeria – 201
• Egypt – 294
• Morocco – 109
• Tunisia – 75

Virus-free = Western Sahara, Libya

West Africa

• Benin – 2
• Burkina Faso – 75
• Ghana – 24
• Guinea – 2
• Ivory Coast – 21
• Liberia – 3
• Mauritania – 2
• Nigeria- 30
• Senegal – 67
• Togo – 16
• The Gambia – 1
• Niger – 1
• Cape Verde – 3

Virus-free = Sierra Leone, Mali, Guinea-Bissau

Central Africa

• Cameroon – 40
• Central African Republic – 3
• Congo-Brazzaville – 4
• DR Congo – 23
• Equatorial Guinea – 6
• Gabon – 6
• Chad – 1

Virus-free = Sao Tome and Principe

Southern Africa

• Eswatini – 1
• Namibia – 3
• South Africa – 402
• Zambia – 2
• Zimbabwe – 2
• Madagascar – 3
• Angola – 2
• Mozambique – 1

Virus-free = Malawi, Comoros, Lesotho, Botswana

East Africa / Horn of Africa

• Ethiopia – 9
• Kenya – 7
• Rwanda – 17
• Seychelles – 6
• Somalia – 1
• Sudan – 2
• Tanzania – 12
• Djibouti – 1
• Mauritius – 7
• Eritrea
• Uganda

Virus-free = Burundi, South Sudan