Angola, Eritrea, And Uganda Report First Confirmed Coronavirus Cases

Angola, Eritrea, and Uganda have reported their first confirmed cases of coronavirus, while Mauritius has recorded its first death from the virus, reported Reuters.

Angolan Health Minister Silvia Lutucuta on Saturday confirmed that two male residents who flew back from Portugal on March 17-18 have tested positive. Eritrea’s first case is that of a 39-year-old national who had arrived from Norway.

Uganda’s first coronavirus case was announced by Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng on Sunday. She said the man flew into the country from Dubai on Saturday and was in stable condition.

More than 1,000 cases have now been reported across Africa, according to the World Health Organisation.

Health experts fear that the continent will not be able to handle a surge in cases without the availability of proper medical facilities.

Zimbabwe reported its first case on Friday, and a second on Saturday, while the island of Mauritius, with 14 cases, reported its first death, a person who had traveled from Belgium via Dubai.

As a precautionary measure, many African countries have already shut their borders, closed schools and universities and barred large public gatherings.

In South Africa, which has the most cases in sub-Saharan Africa, the number of confirmed cases rose to 240 on Saturday. More citizens have now taken to wearing masks and gloves in public.

In Nigeria, where the number of reported cases rose to 22 on Saturday, the government has announced the closure of the country’s two main international airports in the cities of Lagos and Abuja from Monday night.

Rwanda with 17 confirmed coronavirus cases has already banned travel between towns and other parts of the country for two weeks, closing all bars, and requiring all government and private employees to work from home.

On Sunday, the World Health Organization confirmed the total number of novel coronavirus cases in Africa has crossed 1,000 across 43 countries, with a total of 34 reported deaths.