COVID-19: Focus and funds must pivot to Africa as countries reel from deadly second wave
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Nairobi, 27 January 2021 – Save the Children is warning that the lives of thousands of children across Africa are at risk as the hard-hitting second wave of COVID-19 surges across the continent. The agency fears many African countries will be forced to wait months before they can vaccinate even the most vulnerable people and essential frontline health workers, deeply impacting the lives of children.
Africa has six of the top ten countries with the fastest increase in the numbers of confirmed cases[1]. The continent’s COVID-19 mortality rate is also now higher than the global average, marking a grim development from previous phases of the virus. The case fatality rate across Africa is now at 2.5 percent, above the global average of 2.2 percent[2], with the rapid spread of the highly contagious South African variant of particular concern.
Infectious Disease Threats: A Rebound To Resilience healthaffairs.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from healthaffairs.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The catastrophic failure of many Western democracies such as the U.S., UK and many European countries to control COVID-19 has been shocking. Prior to th