The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Africa on 14 February 2020, with the first confirmed case announced in Egypt. The first confirmed case in sub-Saharan Africa was announced in Nigeria at the end of February 2020. Within three months, the virus had spread throughout the continent, as Lesotho, the last African sovereign state to have remained free of the virus, reported a case on 13 May 2020. By 26 May, it appeared that most African countries were experiencing community transmission, although testing capacity was limited. Most of the identified imported cases arrived from Europe and the United States rather than from China where the virus originated.
In early June 2021, Africa faced a third wave of COVID infections with cases rising in 14 countries. By 4 July the continent recorded more than 251,000 new Covid cases, a 20% increase from the prior week and a 12% increase from the January peak. More than sixteen African countries, including Malawi and Senegal, recorded an uptick in new cases. The World Health Organization labelled it Africa's 'Worst Pandemic Week Ever'.
Many preventive measures have been implemented by different countries in Africa. These include travel restrictions, flight cancellations, event cancellations, school closures, and border closures. It is believed that there is widespread under-reporting in many African countries with less developed healthcare systems. According to the autumn 2020 seroprevalence study in Juba in South Sudan, less than 1% of infected were actually reported. Similar results were found in 2022 by WHO modelers.
New variants of concern of the virus were found in Africa: in February 2020 the Beta variant in South Africa, in December 2020 the Eta variant in Nigeria, and in November 2021 the Omicron variant in Botswana.
The African Union secured close to 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in the largest such agreement yet for Africa; it was announced on 13 January 2021. This is independent of the global Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (COVAX) effort aimed at distributing COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income countries. Notably, however, African countries were being charged more than double what European countries had to pay for certain vaccines. The Group of Seven (G-7) promised an equitable distribution of vaccines on 19 February 2021, although few details were provided. The United Arab Emirates has also stepped forward as a vaccine provider for the continent.
Despite these breakthroughs, Africa is the world's least vaccinated continent. At the beginning of June 2021 the World Health Organization reported that COVID-19 vaccine shipments had ground to a "near halt" in Africa. On 8 June, the Sudanese-British billionaire philanthropist Mo Ibrahim sharply criticized the international community for failing to ensure equitable vaccine distribution across the globe. By 8 July 2021, only 2% of the continent had been inoculated.
Several African governments are experiencing criticism for a perceived lack of readiness, corruption scandals, and forcing new lockdowns too late, undermining trust in the state. Currently, twenty of the 39 nations on the World Bank's harmonised list of fragile and conflict-affected states are in Africa.
To support the COVID-19 recovery, Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole would need to raise expenditure by around 6% of GDP ($100 billion), whereas MENA would need to boost spending by 9% of GDP.
History
By the second week of June 2020, Africa had surpassed 200,000 cases in total. The number of confirmed new cases accelerated in June, with the continent having taken 98 days to record the first 100,000 cases, and 18 days for the second 100,000. The pace of acceleration has continued, with cases passing both the 300,000 and 400,000 marks on 6 July. On 8 July 2020, cases had exceeded half a million. Half of the 500,000 cases reported in the continent are from South Africa or Egypt. Ten countries account for 80% of the reported cases. The World Health Organization voiced alarm at the spread in Africa on 20 July 2020, stating that South Africa's surging numbers could be a precursor for further outbreaks across the continent. The number exceeded a million by 6 August, with five countries making up over 75% of the total confirmed cases: South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia and Nigeria. The true case numbers are believed to be significantly higher than the confirmed counts, due to low testing rates in many African countries. The mortality rates of African countries, however, are relatively low compared to Europe due to the younger age of their populations. On 21 August the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) expressed "cautious optimism" as the number of new cases took a downturn, while warning against complacency. In some countries, the number of cases began to rise. On 29 October, John Nkengasong, the head of Africa CDC, said: "The time to prepare for a second wave is truly now."
On 12 November, Africa CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that confirmed cases have been increasing since July, particularly in North Africa (Tunisia, Morocco and Libya). The curve has flattened in South Africa and Kenya, while Senegal and Equatorial Guinea have seen a steady decline.
During the summer of 2021, the number of cases increased and reached almost 202,000 a week by 27 June. As of 13 July 2021, 22 of the 55 African states had reported cases of the Delta variant.
For the first time since the apex of the fourth wave generated by the Omicron strain, the weekly number of COVID-19 cases in Africa has "significantly decreased," and the number of deaths has also decreased, according to a statement released by the World Health Organization on Thursday, 10 February 2022.
African countries contributed significantly to the identification of the Omicron variant in November 2021, when Tulio de Oliveira of Stellenbosch University, a Brazilian-born bioinformatician, for the first time informed the public of the variant’s dozens of mutations, making it more contagious globally. African academics have sharply criticised the 'Global North' for hogging crucial vaccines, unfairly imposing travel bans, and depriving African scientists of the credits they deserve for sequencing new emerging variants.
Statistics
Total confirmed cases by country
Daily cases for the most infected African countries:
No. of casesDate01,000,0002,000,0003,000,0004,000,00014 Feb 20202 November 2021South AfricaMoroccoTunisiaEgyptLibyaEthiopiaReunionKenyaZambiaBotswanaCOVID-19 pandemic in Africa/Daily by country
The number of active cases by country.
No. of active casesDate of daily report050,000100,000150,000200,000250,00014 Feb 20203 September 2021South AfricaMoroccoTunisiaEgyptLibyaEthiopiaReunionKenyaZambiaBotswanaCOVID-19 pandemic in Africa/Active by country
Timeline by country and territory
Algeria
The first case in the country was confirmed on 25 February. On the morning of 2 March, Algeria confirmed two new cases of the coronavirus, a woman and her daughter. On 3 March, Algeria reported another two new cases of the coronavirus. The two new cases were from the same family, a father and daughter, and were living in France. On 4 March, the Ministry of Health recorded four new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, all from the same family, bringing the total number to 12 confirmed cases.
According to WHO prediction modelling estimates Algeria faces a relatively high risk for a spread of COVID-19 if containment measures such as contact tracing are not prioritized.
Angola
On 21 March, the first two cases in the country were confirmed. Effective 20 March, all Angolan borders were closed for 15 days.
As of 18 April 2020, there were a total of 19 confirmed cases, two deaths and six recovered cases.
By December 2020 the total confirmed cases was 17,433, with 10,859 recoveries and 405 deaths. There were 6,169 active cases at the end of the month.
Benin
On 16 March 2020, the first case in the country was confirmed. As of 18 April, there was a total of 35 confirmed cases, one death and 18 recovered cases.
The total number of confirmed cases was 3,251 in December. There were 3,061 recovered patients, 44 deaths, and 146 active cases at the end of the year.
Botswana
On 30 March, the first three cases in Botswana were confirmed.
To prevent the further spread of the disease, the government has banned gatherings of more than 50 people and the entry of people from countries deemed high-risk. the borders would be closed and Citizens of Botswana are permitted to return but must be quarantined for 14 days. All schools were also closed from 20 March.
Burkina Faso
On 9 March 2020, the first two cases in the country were reported in Burkina Faso. On 13 March, the third case was also confirmed, a person who had had direct contact with the first two cases. As of 14 March, a total of seven cases had been confirmed in the country. Five of the new confirmed cases had had direct contact with the first two cases. One was an English national employed at a gold mine in the country who vacationed in Liverpool and came back on 10 March, transiting through Vancouver and Paris.
As of 18 April 2020 there were a total of 557 confirmed cases, 35 deaths and 294 recovered cases.
By the end of December 2020, there were 6,631 total cases, 4,978 recoveries, 1,569 active cases, and 84 deaths.
Burundi
On 31 March, the first two cases in the country were confirmed. The president of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, died during the pandemic; officially he died of a heart attack, but it is speculated that he may have died from COVID-19 with members of his family also reported to have contracted the disease.
Cameroon
On 6 March the first case was confirmed in Cameroon. According to WHO prediction modelling estimates Cameroon faces a relatively high risk for a spread of COVID-19 if containment measures such as contact tracing are not prioritized.
Cameroon reported 27,336 total cases, 1,993 active cases, and 451 total deaths on 13 January 2021. This is 17 deaths per one million population.
Cape Verde
On 20 March, the first case in the country was confirmed, a 62-year-old from the United Kingdom.
Central African Republic
The country's first case was announced on 14 March, with the patient being identified as a 74-year-old Italian man who returned to the Central African Republic from Milan, Italy.
Chad
On 19 March, the first case in the country was confirmed. Over 4,000 people so far have tested positive
As a preventive measure, the government cancelled all flights into the country, except for cargo flights.
Comoros
As a preventive measure, arriving travellers were to be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival. To prevent the spread of the virus, the government has cancelled all incoming flights and banned large gatherings. On 15 April 2020, a person arriving in Mayotte from the Comoros tested positive for COVID-19.
On 30 April, the first case was confirmed in the Comoros. On 4 May, the first death was announced. 54 people had been tested, and 53 contacts had been traced.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
On 10 March, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the country. As of March 2021, over 25,000 people had tested positive As of 27 July 2021, the Delta variant had been detected in 76% of analyzed samples.
Prevention measures
On 19 March, President Félix Tshisekedi announced that all flights would be suspended. The president imposed a state of emergency and closed the borders. Schools, bars, restaurants, and places of worship were also closed.
Republic of the Congo
The country's first case was announced on 14 March, a 50-year-old man who had returned to the Republic of the Congo from Paris, France.
Djibouti
On 18 March, the first case in Djibouti was confirmed.
Egypt
Egypt's health ministry announced the first case in the country at Cairo International Airport involving a Chinese national on 14 February. On 6 March, the Egyptian Health Ministry and WHO confirmed 12 new cases of coronavirus infection. 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.
Egypt reported 152,719 total cases, 24,045 active cases, and 8,362 total deaths on 13 January 2021. This is 81 deaths per one million population.
In January 2021, the relative of a 62-year-old COVID-19 patient who died in Egypt's El Husseineya Central Hospital due to the shortage of oxygen posted a video of the hospital on Facebook. The video that showed the medical staff in distress, resuscitating a man with the help of a manual ventilator went viral on the Internet, inviting global attention concerning the government's shortcomings in handling the pandemic. Four patients had died that day and the official statement issued by the hospital concluded that the patients developed "complications", denying "any connection" of their deaths with the shortage of oxygen. An investigation led by The New York Times found otherwise in which statements given during interviews by both, the patients' relatives, as well as the medical staff, confirmed the cause of death as deprivation of oxygen. Egypt began vaccinating healthcare workers on 24 January. More than 300 doctors have died.
Equatorial Guinea
On 14 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.
Eritrea
On 20 March, the first case in Eritrea was confirmed.
Eswatini
On 14 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.
Ethiopia
The country's first case was announced on 13 March, which is a Japanese man who had arrived in the country on 4 March from Burkina Faso. Three additional cases of the virus were reported on 15 March. The three individuals had close contact with the person who was reported to be infected by the virus on 13 March. Since then, eight more confirmed cases were reported by the health ministry to the public, bringing the total to twelve. Among the infected individuals an elderly Ethiopian in her eighties has been said to have some escalating symptoms while other eight have been on a recovery route and showing fewer symptoms of the disease. On 27 March, another statement was issued by the health minister stating that four additional cases have been identified while one case being in the Adama city of the Oromia regional state and the other three being in Addis Ababa. Moreover, three more cases were confirmed by the Health Minister on 31 March 2020. Similarly, the following day another three cases were added. On the previous press release the government authorities had noted that one case was retested and confirmed negative and two of the confirmed cases have been sent to their country (Japan). In aggregate, twenty-nine cases are confirmed as of 1 April 2020. On 3 April 2020 due to further tests made, six additional cases have been discovered moving up the tally to thirty-five. Measures are being taken by the government and the community together strictly to suppress the further spreading of this deadly virus. Among the six cases identified there were individuals with no traveling history recently, that has made it alarming to the public.