#Omicron-fuelled #COVID19 pandemic fourth wave in Africa flattens after a six-week surge. If the trend continues, it will be the shortest-lived surge to date in the continent where cumulative cases have now exceeded 10 million. afro.who.int/news/omicron-f…
#COVID19 deaths in #Africa rose by 64% in the seven days ending on 9 January compared with the week before mainly due to infections among people at high-risk.
Deaths in the fourth wave are however lower than in the previous waves. Hospitalizations have remained low.
The fast-spreading #Omicron variant has become dominant in countries experiencing a surge in #COVID19 cases.
While it took around four weeks for the #Delta variant to surpass the previously dominant Beta, Omicron outpaced Delta within two weeks in worst-hit African countries.
So far 30 African countries—and at least 142 globally—have detected the #Omicron variant. The Delta variant has been reported in 42 countries in #Africa.
In Cabo Verde🇨🇻 and Nigeria🇳🇬, Omicron is currently the dominant variant. #COVID19
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"The world has entered the third year of the #COVID19 pandemic. The virus has caused great devastation. Millions of lives have been lost and livelihoods wiped out." - Dr @SalamGueye
"Here in #Africa, cumulative #COVID19 cases have now exceeded 10 million and more than 230,000 people have sadly died." - Dr @SalamGueye
"While new cases have plateaued in the past two weeks, following a peak in August, Africa must remain on high alert as we see cases rising across Europe. We are about to start the end-of-year travel season, which triggered a surge last December." - Dr @MoetiTshidi
"We are already seeing an uptick in new cases in Southern Africa, with a 48% jump in new cases, compared with the preceding week. This comes after 18 weeks of sustained decline, with the increase driven mainly by a spike in cases in 🇿🇦." - Dr @MoetiTshidi
LIVE: Join our press briefing on the latest #COVID19 updates in #Africa, including discussions on the third wave & COVID-19 vaccine passports. twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…
"There have now been more than 5.3 million #COVID19 cases on the African continent, & 138,000 lives sadly lost. The third wave is picking up speed, spreading faster, hitting harder." - Dr @MoetiTshidi
"This is incredibly worrying. With rapidly rising case numbers & increasing reports of serious illness, the latest surge threatens to be #Africa's worst yet." - Dr @MoetiTshidi