2020 coronavirus pandemic in Africa
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| Disease | COVID-19 |
|---|---|
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Africa |
| First case | Cairo, Egypt |
| Arrival date | 14 February 2020 |
| Origin | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
| Confirmed cases | 511 |
| Suspected cases‡ | 0 |
| Recovered | 46 |
Deaths | 14 |
Territories | 31 |
| ‡ Suspected cases have not been confirmed as being due to this strain by laboratory tests, although some other strains may have been ruled out. | |
This article documents countries in Africa affected by the coronavirus responsible for the 2019–20 pandemic first recorded in Wuhan, China, and may not include all the most recent responses and measures taken.
Daily confirmed cases[edit]
Confirmed case by country[edit]
Daily cases for the most infected African countries as of 17 March 2020:
Pandemic by country[edit]
Algeria[edit]
On 25 February, the first case in the country was discovered. On the morning of 2 March, Algeria confirmed two new cases of the coronavirus, a woman and her daughter.[1]
On the afternoon of 3 March, Algeria reported another two new cases of the coronavirus, a state news agency said quoting a statement from the health ministry. The statement added that the two new cases are from the same family, a father and daughter, and were living in France, adding that there's an investigation to determine the identities of the people who were in contact with them.[2]
On Wednesday 4 March, the Ministry of Health recorded 4 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, all from the same family, bringing the total number to 12 confirmed cases.[3]
Benin[edit]
On 16 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.[4]
Burkina Faso[edit]
On 9 March, the first two cases in the country were reported in Burkina Faso.[5]
On 13 March, the third case was also confirmed, a person who had had direct contact with the first two cases.[6]
As of March 14, 2020, a total of 7 cases have been confirmed in the country. 5 of the new confirmed cases had had direct contact with the first two cases. 1 is an English national employed at a gold mine in the country who vacationed in Liverpool and came back on March 10, transiting through Vancouver and Paris .[7]
Cameroon[edit]
On 6 March the first case was confirmed in Cameroon.[8]
Central African Republic[edit]
On 14 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.[9]
Democratic Republic of the Congo[edit]
On 10 March, the first case was reported in the country.[10]
Republic of the Congo[edit]
The country's first case was announced on 14 March, a 50-year-old man who returned to the Republic of the Congo from Paris, France.[11]
Djibouti[edit]
Egypt[edit]
Egypt's health ministry announced the first case in the country at Cairo International Airport involving a Chinese national on 14 February.[12][13]
On 6 March, the Egyptian Health Ministry and WHO confirmed 12 new cases of coronavirus infection.[14] The infected persons were among the Egyptian staff aboard the Nile cruise ship MS River Anuket, which was travelling from Aswan to Luxor. On 7 March 2020, health authorities announced that 45 people on board had tested positive, and that the ship had been placed in quarantine at a dock in Luxor.[15]
Equatorial Guinea[edit]
On 14 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.[16]
Eswatini[edit]
On 14 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.[17]
Ethiopia[edit]
The country's first case was announced on 13 March, a Japanese man who had arrived in the country on 4 March from Burkina Faso.[18] Three additional cases of the virus were reported on March 15th. The three individuals had close contact with the person who was reported to be infected by the virus on March 13th.[19]
France (Mayotte and Réunion)[edit]
Gabon[edit]
The country's first case was announced on 12 March, a 27 year old Gabonese man who returned to Gabon from France, 4 days prior to confirmation of the coronavirus.[20]
Gambia[edit]
Gambia reported its first case of coronavirus from a 20 year old woman who returned from the United Kingdom on 17 March.[21]
Ghana[edit]
Ghana reported its first two cases on 12 March. The two cases were people who came back to the country from Norway and Turkey, with the contact tracing process beginning.[22][23]
On 11 March, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, made the cedi equivalent of $100 million available to enhance Ghana's coronavirus preparedness and response plan. Five more cases confirmed as of 17 March.
Guinea[edit]
On 13 March, an employee of the European Union delegation in Guinea tested positive for coronavirus, a delegation spokesman said on Friday. This is Guinea's first confirmed case of the virus. [24]
Ivory Coast[edit]
On 11 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.[25]
Kenya[edit]
On 13 March, the first case in Kenya was confirmed, a woman who came from the US via London.[26]
Liberia[edit]
On 16 March, the first case in Liberia was confirmed.[27][28]
Mauritania[edit]
On 13 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.[29]
Morocco[edit]
On 2 March, Morocco recorded its first case of COVID-19. It was a Moroccan national residing in Italy who had returned to Morocco.[30]
Namibia[edit]
On 14 March, the first two cases in the country were confirmed.[31] In a first reaction by government air travel to and from Qatar, Ethiopia and Germany was suspended for 30 days. All public and private schools are also closed for a month, and large gatherings are prohibited. This includes celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Namibian independence that takes place on 21 March.[32] Libraries, museums, and art galleries were also closed. [33]
Nigeria[edit]
On 27 February, Nigeria confirmed its first case, the first case of coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa.[34][35] An Italian citizen who works in Nigeria had returned on 25 February from Milan, Italy through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, fell ill on 26 February and was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing.[36][37][38] The test was confirmed positive by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.[39] He was transferred to the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.[38] On 28 February, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health announced that the Italian man had travelled on Turkish Airlines with a brief transit at Istanbul.[40] As of 6 March, a total of 219 primary and secondary contacts of the index case had been identified and were being actively monitored.[41]
Rwanda[edit]
On 14 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.[42]
Senegal[edit]
On 2 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.[43]
Seychelles[edit]
Seychelles reported its first two cases on 14 March. The two cases were people who were in contact with someone in Italy who tested positive.[44]
Spain (Canary Islands)[edit]
Somalia[edit]
On 16 March, the first case in Somalia was confirmed.[28] Somalia's Health Ministry reported that a Somali citizen was returning home from China.[45]
South Africa[edit]
On 5 March the first confirmed case was announced, returning from Italy[46] On 15 March 2020, South Africa declared a national state of disaster.[28]
Sudan[edit]
The country's first case was announced on 13 March, a man who died in Khartoum on 12 March. He had visited the United Arab Emirates in the first week of March.[47]
Tanzania[edit]
On 16 March, the first case was confirmed.[28]
Togo[edit]
On 6 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.[48]
Tunisia[edit]
On 2 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.[49][50]
As of 13 March, there are 13 confirmed cases.
Zambia[edit]
Zambia reported its first 2 cases of COVID-19 on 18 March. The patients were a couple that had travelled to France on holiday.[51] As of 17 March, the government has shut all educational institutions and put in place some restrictions on foreign travel.[52]
Prevention in other countries[edit]
Botswana[edit]
As of 17 March there have been no reported cases in Botswana. As a precautionary measure the government has banned gatherings of more than 50 people and the entry of people from countries deemed high-risk.[53][54]
Burundi[edit]
As of 17 March there have been no reported cases in the country. As a preventative measure, the government has instituted 14-day quarantining for people entering Burundi from affected countries.[55][56]
Cape Verde[edit]
As of 17 March, Cape Verde had no recorded cases of COVID-19[57][58] with all the suspect cases having tested negative. Since March 16th[59] tests are beeing made in Cape Verde rather than abroad, by the Laboratório de Virologia de Cabo Verde, in Praia.
On 17 March, as a contingency measure, Prime Minister José Ulisses Correia e Silva announced[60][61][62] the suspension of all incoming flights from the US, Brazil, Senegal, Nigeria, Portugal, and all EU countries affected by the coronavirus. The suspension is active for three weeks. Exceptions are for cargo flights and flights for foreign citizens wishing to return home. The ban also applies to the docking of cruise ships, sailing ships and landing from passengers or crew from cargo ships or fishing ships.
Cabo Verde Airlines had already taken the decision to suspend flights[63]. Since February 28th the flights to Milan (Italy) are suspended. On March 6th, the flights to Lagos (Nigeria), Porto Alegre (Brazil) and Washington (United States) were also suspended. On March 17th, accordingly to the Government decision, Cabo Verde Airlines suspended all its other routes.
Chad[edit]
As of 17 March there have been no reported cases in the country. As a preventative measure, the government has cancelled all flights into the country, except for cargo flights.[64][65]
Eritrea[edit]
As of 17 March Eritrea has no coronavirus cases. As a precautionary measure the government has urged people not to travel to or from the country, and will be quarantining any incoming travellers who have recently been in China, Italy, South Korea or Iran.[66]
Lesotho[edit]
As of 17 March there have been no reported cases in Lesotho. In order to prevent the spread of the virus the government has closed its border with South Africa.[67]
Libya[edit]
As of 17 March there have been no reported cases in Libya. In order to prevent the spread of the virus, the UN-recognised Government of National Accord has closed the country's borders, suspended flights for three weeks and banned foreign nationals from entering the country; schools, cafes, mosques and public gatherings have also been closed.[68]
South Sudan[edit]
As of 17 March there have been no reported cases in South Sudan. On 16 March President Salva Kiir announced a temporary ban on all social and other large gatherings, restrictions on foreign travel, and a 14-day quarantine for all visitors entering the country.[69][70]
Zimbabwe[edit]
As of 17 March there have been no confirmed cases in the country. As a precautionary measure President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a national emergency, putting in place travel restrictions and banning large gatherings.[71][72] The country's defence minister Oppah Muchinguri caused controversy by stating the coronavirus could be a divine punishment on Western nations for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe.[73]
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