Africa CDC rolls out new COVID-19 dashboard tool

By AT editor - 7 April 2020 at 9:06 pm
Africa CDC rolls out new COVID-19 dashboard tool

There’s a new tool in the fight against COVID-19, and it’s a tech tool from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention that shows the impact of the coronavirus pandemic across the continent in one easy-to-use dashboard.

The interactive COVID-19 dashboard linked here keeps real-time cumulative case totals for Africans, while breaking down those totals into individual countries and their respective data. South Africa continues to register the most cases overall at 1,749, with 13 confirmed fatalities. Algeria, Egypt and Morocco all have the next-highest exposure, with cases at 1,423, then 1,322 and 1,141 respectively.

Yet cases are creeping up in Cameroon too, where the case count is at 650 and nine people have died.

There are now 52 African nations reporting confirmed COVID-19 cases, including the latest case in South Sudan. The coronavirus cases are linked to community transmission in at least 41 of those countries, according to the latest Outbreak Brief also released Tuesday by the Africa CDC.

“Africa CDC is working with all affected countries and is mobilizing laboratory, surveillance, and other response support where requested,” the weekly brief said.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has not endorsed the widespread use of masks but WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says they may be appropriate in some settings common to the African continent.

“Countries could consider using masks in communities where other measures such as cleaning hands and physical distancing are harder to achieve because of lack of water or cramped living conditions,” he said while unveiling WHO guidance in Geneva.

“There is no black or white answer, and no silver bullet. Masks alone cannot stop the pandemic. Countries must continue to find, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact.”

 

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