Africa Day 2020: A celebration of a continent that is not backing down

The eve of Africa Day 2020 marked 100 days since the outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in Africa which has since infected 108,109* people and taken the lives of 3,260* people. Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones during this time. Notwithstanding, African nations took their place among the rest of the world in mounting resistance against this epidemic. As we commemorate Africa Day, this piece celebrates a continent that is consolidating its place in global affairs and prioritizing its citizens despite its obvious challenges. The predictions about Africa and this virus were not good and were riddled with predictions of complete failure to respond appropriately to the pandemic. Some reports even put forward that number of deaths could reach hundreds of thousands.

At 100 days of the COVID-19’s spread in China, infections were at 100,000, in the US 29,468, in the UK 219,183 and at 100 days since the first infection, India was reporting 2,000 cases a day. At 100 days in Africa, no single African country is reporting numbers close to the above.

Two months after the first cases of coronavirus in the world was confirmed, Africa recorded its first case in Egypt related to an asymptomatic Chinese national who landed at Cairo International Airport. The patient was detected because of the government’s rigorous preventative plan which involved screening and monitoring of travelers from coronavirus affected countries. Since then, the virus has spread to all 54 countries, hitting Lesotho the last African country to record a case on 13 May. Recoveries as of 23 May stand at 42,937*, 40% of the confirmed cases.

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Source: Cynthia Nyam and Mudiwa Mutasa, DevDispatch Podcast