Coronavirus cases in African countries double in one week

African countries have so far recorded over 4,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), more than double the figure as of Monday.

Despite the rising cases of the disease on the continent, however, it still has fewer cases when compared to Europe, Asia, or North America where thousands have died from the disease.

As at early Sunday morning, African countries have recorded a total of 4234 confirmed cases, 131 deaths, and 236 recoveries, according to Worldometer.

Also, 46 of the 54 countries on the continent have recorded at least a case of COVID-19.

The eight countries that are yet to record any confirmed case of the disease are Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Malawi, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan.

In a bid to contain the pandemic, diverse prevention and containment measure have been put in place in many African countries. These measures range from lockdown, movement restrictions, border closures, international airport closures and school shutdowns.

An Increase

The number of confirmed cases on the continent doubled over the past week. As at Monday, African countries had confirmed 1998 COVID-19 cases, less than half of the new figure.

South Africa recorded its first case on March 4. In less than a month, it now has over one thousand cases. The figure was 554 confirmed cases as at Monday.

Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco each have more than 400 confirmed cases, Tunisia and Burkina Faso each have more than 200 cases, while Mauritius and Cote D’Ivoire each have more than 100 cases.

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The remaining countries have cases that are less than 100.

Nigeria on Saturday night confirmed 97 cases, nearing the 100 mark.

Nigeria has recorded one death from its cases while at least three have fully recovered and have been discharged.

Many top Nigerian politicians have also tested positive to the disease. These include President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, and Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

Many African countries have been receiving donations from businesses, other countries and billionaires to help fight the disease.

The African Union on Monday received a donation of 2000 test kits from the Chinese government and is expecting another 10,000 of them, alongside crucial medical supplies needed to fight the spread of the virus across the continent.

Chinese billionaire, Jack Ma, has also donated test kits and other materials to many African countries.

In Nigeria, the Central Bank is leading an effort by private businesses to donate towards tackling the disease. Some of the billionaires and businesses that have donated include Abdulsamad Rabiu of BUA Group, UBA and Oando.