The World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, on Thursday said the new COVID-19 variants that have been recently reported in a number of African countries could undermine efforts to contain the pandemic, reported CGTN Africa.
Moeti said that strict measures are required to reduce pressure on the continent’s public health systems amid the spread of new strains of the virus.
“Even if the new variant is not more virulent, a virus that can spread more easily will put further strain on hospitals and health workers who are in many cases already overstretched,” the WHO official said in a statement.
She said that enhanced vigilance is crucial to stop transmission of coronavirus in Africa in the light of new mutations and upticks linked to easing of containment measures.
COVID-19 cases on the African continent crossed 3,142,781 and the death toll stood at 75,709 as of Thursday, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Moeti said the African continent has reported an average of 25,000 new cases daily since late December 2020. She warned that the numbers are expected to increase in the coming days due to intense travels and family gatherings witnessed during the festive season.
The WHO official said that South Africa, Nigeria, Gambia, Zambia, and Botswana have reported new COVID-19 variants, adding that sequencing their genetic make-up is important to gain more information about their effect on patients.
“We call on all countries to increase testing and sequencing of the virus to swiftly spot, track and tackle new COVID-19 variants as soon as they appear,” said Moeti.
She said that countries should tighten public health measures like frequent hand washing, physical distancing, and wearing of masks in the face of new strains of coronavirus across Africa.
Moeti added that WHO has partnered with the Africa CDC to improve the continent’s capacity to conduct genetic sequencing of new COVID-19 variants.
