By Grace Audu (HEALTH CORRESPONDENT) –
The New York Time reported this morning, “a sudden, sharp rise in coronavirus cases in many parts of Africa,” raising fears about a possible third wave on the continent.
Such fears look well founded, going by reports about Uganda recording over 10,000 Covid-19 cases in 10 days, with South Africa moving to level 3 lockdown.
It made reference to last week’s lamentation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), over crippling immunization efforts due to drops in funding and vaccines, and the rise in positive cases from Covid tests in 14 African countries within the last seven days – all of which have been blamed on lack of strict compliance with protocols (social restrictions) among other factors.
“Infections are steadily climbing in South Africa, where four of nine provinces are battling a third wave. There has also been a sharp increase in cases in Uganda, with hospitals overwhelmed with Covid patients and the authorities mulling a lockdown,” the report said.
Already, the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has announced that country’s lockdown regulations will be tightened in the face of the threat of a third Covid-19 wave.
Ramaphosa said yesterday South Africa would move to a level 3 lockdown from midnight to stop health facilities from being overwhelmed, stressing that the priority would be to ensure availability of sufficient beds and healthcare workers to confront the situation.
Among other fresh restrictions, the President announce a curfew to be observed from 22h00 – 04h00; Non-essential establishments such as bars and fitness centres must close at 21h00 and limiting of all gatherings to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.
They also include a limit on attendance at funerals and cremation which should not exceed 50 people; further prohibition of night vigils and after-funeral gatherings; sale of alcohol for off-site consumption between 10h00 – 18h00 from Monday to Thursday and; strict prohibition of alcohol in public.
While describing the threat of a third wave as a mountain to climb, President Ramaphosa acknowledged the frustration of South Africans who are having their freedom restricted, insisting, however, that the restrictions were necessary for combating the Covid-19 virus.
According to him, South Africa has a ‘mountain to climb’ as it faces a third wave of infections – with daily infections doubling in the last two weeks.
Hospital admissions are 59% and deaths have increased by 48% over the same time period, he said. With the exception of the Northern Cape, all provinces are experiencing a rise in infections, with most provinces either in an official third wave or reaching this point.
Ramaphosa said that Gauteng is a particular concern and that it is set to pass its second wave peak in the coming days.
South Africa reported a total of 8,436 new cases on Tuesday, which represents a 17.8% positivity rate. This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 1,761,066.
The majority of new cases today are from the Gauteng province (64%), followed by the Western Cape (7%), North West (6%), Free State (6%) and KwaZulu-Natal (5%).
A further 208 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 58,087.
In Uganda, up to 69 per cent of the 15,248 new Covid-19 cases detected in the country were reported in the last 10 days, according to a Daily Monitor report.
It quoted statistics from the country’s Ministry of Health for the period between June 3 and 12 which indicate that 10,491 cases were reported, compared to the previous 10 days (May 24-June 2), where only 4,757 cases were reported.
The cumulative Covid-19 cases in Uganda now stand at 60,250, according to the report.
The statistics indicate that of the 65 deaths registered across the country in the last 20 days (May 24-June 12), 90 per cent (58) occurred in the last 10 days.
The total fatalities from Covid-19 in Uganda are 423, with 15 new deaths being reported on June 12 alone.
“This comes a few days after President Yoweri Museveni reinstated a lockdown, closing schools, banning inter-district travel and public gatherings, among others, for 42 days. The lockdown is aimed at curbing the surge in infections and deaths.”
On June 12, 1,735 cases were detected from 9,494 samples that were taken, with Kampala lading with 1,117 cases (64 per cent), followed by Wakiso (171), Gulu (111), Mbarara (61), Luwero (46), and Masaka (26).
Dr Moses Muwanga, the director of Entebbe Grade B Hospital, one of the major Covid-19 treatment centres in the country, told Daily Monitor Sunday that the hospital is full to capacity with Covid-19 patients.
“We have around 130 Covid-19 patients at the hospital. The beds are full. We have a mixture of young and old people who are very sick,” he said without giving details.
According to the Ministry of Health, over 788 Covid-19 patients with moderate to severe disease are currently admitted to hospitals. Another 11,302 Covid-19 patients are being treated from home.
Dr Richard Idro, the president of the Uganda Medical Association, said health workers are overstretched and that the country is headed for an oxygen crisis as it happened during the Covid-19 surge in India.
“Severely sick Covid-19 patients require a lot of oxygen; these large cylinders of medical oxygen cannot support them. If we allow this disease to go out of hand, we shall run out of medical oxygen in the country and we will lose very many people,” he said.
Most regional referral hospitals and Mulago National Referral Hospital have oxygen plants and they are producing medical oxygen. There are also some private facilities which are supporting the government with oxygen, according to the Ministry of Health.
“The oxygen supply is there but it is low when compared to the number of critically ill Covid-19 patients and we are afraid that the hospitals and health workers will become overwhelmed,” Dr Idro said.
“Please stay at home, protect yourself and wash your hands. Eat well, sleep adequately and sunbathe, especially in the mid-morning, to get Vitamin D so as to strengthen your immunity,” the Uma president advised.
In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, 17 new coronavirus infections were in the country as of June 15.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which made this known via its verified website on this morning, announced that 11 states had zero cases reported, which were; Plateau, Nasarawa, Cross River, Imo, Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna, Sokoto, Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti States.
The 17 new cases were registered in Lagos – 13; Gombe – 1and Rivers – 3, it explained.
According to the NCDC, the country had so far tested 2,231,409 persons since the first confirmed case relating to the COVID-19 was announced in Feb. 27, 2020.
It put the total number of infections in the country at 167,095 with 163,483 recoveries recorded as of June 15.
The public health agency said no additional new deaths were registered in the country in the last 24 hours.
The NCDC said a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, had continued to coordinate the national response activities.
Meanwhile, it added that the country’s active cases stood at 1,495, as of June 15.
(With additional reports by Daily Monitor and New York Times)