The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr.
Matshidiso Moeti has warned that about 190,000 people could die of
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; if containment measures failed.
Moeti disclosed this in a new study of WHO released Thursday in
Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
“Twenty nine million to 44 million people could get infected in the
first year of pandemic if containment measures fail,” said the study
report.
The report, according to Moeti; was a research based on prediction
modelling of 47 countries in the WHO African Region with a total
population of one billion.
On findings on COVID-19 study, the report said: “The model predicts
the observed slower rate of transmission, lower age of people with
severe disease and lower mortality rates compared to what is seen in
most affected countries of world.
“The lower rate of transmission, however, suggests a more prolonged
outbreak over a few years.
“It was also revealed that smaller African countries alongside
Algeria, South Africa and Cameroon were at a high risk if containment
measures are not prioritized.”
Dr. Moeti noted: “While COVID-19 likely won’t spread as exponentially
in Africa as it has elsewhere in the world, it likely will smoulder in
transmission hotspots.
“COVID-19 could become a fixture in our lives for the next several
years unless a proactive approach is taken by many governments in the
region,” noting that; “We need to test, trace, isolate and treat.”
The study recommends that countries across Africa need to expand the
capacity particularly of primary hospitals and ensure that basic
emergency care is included in primary health systems.
“The importance of promoting effective containment measures is ever
more crucial, as sustained and widespread transmission of the virus
could severely overwhelm our health systems,” she warned.
She noted that curbing a largescale outbreak is far costlier than the
ongoing preventive measures governments are undertaking to contain the
spread of virus.
According to her, physical distancing and hygiene improvement, aim to
slow down the transmission of the virus so its effects happen at a
rate manageable by health system.
