Thread by @AliHMokdad

#COVID19 surge in the African Region continues to worsen – reported daily cases increased by 25% this week, from 7,100 per day on average to 8,900 per day. Daily deaths increased to 500 per day, compared to 470 last week. 1/6

Winter in southern Africa and the circulation of escape variants (B.1.351 and B.1.617) coupled with the slow pace of vaccination will continue to drive spikes in cases and deaths. 2/6

Sustained increases in reported cases in South Africa as well as sharp rises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Namibia, Uganda, and Zambia are of particular concern. 3/6

Diminished vigilance and relaxation of mandates further heightens the likelihood of surges and poses a real threat to health systems. 4/6

Countries should prioritize improving mask usage, bolstering vaccine confidence, considering targeted acquisition of vaccines with higher efficacy against prevailing variants of concern, and implementing appropriate social distancing mandates. 5/6

Improvements to vaccine equity and distribution must also continue to mitigate surges in the coming months. 6/6