Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Impact in Africa
Abstract
As of August 2020, confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa ("Africa") continued to lag other regions. Cases also remained concentrated in a handful of countries, led by South Africa (Figure 1) - which has conducted the most COVID-19 tests by far - although cases were rising quickly in many locations. In general, World Health Organization (WHO) scientists have predicted that COVID-19 may spread more slowly in Africa than in some regions due to social and environmental factors, including poor transportation infrastructure. At the same time, cases are likely underreported, as testing has been hampered by capacity constraints and the refusal of a few governments to track or publish data. Low death rates may be attributable to Africa's young populations, although the full effects of COVID-19 comorbidity with conditions such as HIV/AIDS and malnutrition remain to be seen
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 20, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1131458
Entities
People
- Alexis Arieff
- Lauren P. Blanchard
- Nicolas Cook
- Thomas F. Husted
Organizations
- Library of Congress