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Africa surpasses 3 million COVID cases; more than 72,000 dead

Published:Sunday | January 10, 2021 | 6:41 PMThe Associated Press
A healthcare worker directs vehicles, as patients queue up for COVID-19 tests at a Dis-Chem drive-through testing station at the Table Bay Mall in Cape Town, South Africa on Friday. South Africa, with 60 million people, has reported by far the most cases of COVID-19 in Africa. The country has more than 1.1 million confirmed infections (AP photo).

Africa surpassed the milestone of 3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, including more than 72,000 deaths, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

South Africa accounts for more than 30 per cent of the continent’s total infections and deaths, with more than 1.2 million reported cases, including 32,824 deaths. However, the high proportion of cases in South Africa could be because the country carries out more tests than many other African countries.

South Africa is battling a resurgence of the disease, driven by a variant of the virus that is more contagious and spreading quickly. Many hospitals are reaching capacity, yet the numbers of those infected are expected to continue rising, according to health experts. 

The country’s seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen over the past two weeks from 19.86 new cases per 100,000 people on December 26 to 30.18 new cases per 100,000 people on January 9, according to Johns Hopkins University.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet with his cabinet this week to consider if further restrictions should be taken to slow the spread of the disease, while balancing the need to encourage economic growth. 

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