Africa’s coronavirus cases double in 2 weeks, but do low rates of testing hide an even bigger crisis?

Continent still accounts for only 32,000 of the world’s 3 million-plus infections, while some of its testing programmes remain in disarray

As with Ebola outbreak of 2014-15, families also need to adapt to prevent household clusters, doctor in Sierra Leone says

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People queue to take part in a testing programme in Nigeria, where there have been concerns that infections could far exceed what the figures suggest. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:30am, 29 Apr 2020Updated: 8:30am, 29 Apr 2020

Africa’s number of confirmed coronavirus infections has more than doubled in two weeks, despite a relative lack of testing caused by a shortage of test kits and logistical constraints.

The continent had by Monday recorded more than 32,000 cases, twice that of a fortnight earlier, with 1,428 deaths.

But with the totals dwarfed by the world’s more than 3 million confirmed cases and 211,032 deaths, there are fears that people carrying Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, may be going undetected.

Some experts have disputed the Economic Commission for Africa’s prediction that more than 300,000 Africans could die from Covid-19. However, difficulties in stepping up testing has left authorities in the dark as to the illness’ true spread.

Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country with about 200 million people, has admitted that its coronavirus testing has been inadequate, after reports of mysterious deaths in Kano State, in the country’s northwest. The West African country had reported 1,273 coronavirus cases and 40 deaths as of Monday, having conducted about 10,000 coronavirus tests.

Africa’s coronavirus cases double in 2 weeks, but do low rates of testing hide an even bigger crisis?

Continent still accounts for only 32,000 of the world’s 3 million-plus infections, while some of its testing programmes remain in disarray As with Ebola outbreak of 2014-15, families also need to adapt to prevent household clusters, doctor in Sierra Leone says

Continent still accounts for only 32,000 of the world’s 3 million-plus infections, while some of its testing programmes remain in disarray

As with Ebola outbreak of 2014-15, families also need to adapt to prevent household clusters, doctor in Sierra Leone says