COVID-19: Unpacking the low number of cases in Africa

Itai Chitungo; Mathias Dzobo; Mbuzeleni Hlongwa; Tafadzwa Dzinamarira

doi:10.1016/j.puhip.2020.100038

COVID-19: Unpacking the low number of cases in Africa

Public Health Pract (Oxf). 2020 Nov:1:100038. doi: 10.1016/j.puhip.2020.100038. Epub 2020 Dec 22.

Authors

Itai Chitungo¹, Mathias Dzobo¹, Mbuzeleni Hlongwa², Tafadzwa Dzinamarira²

Affiliations

¹ College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
² Department of Public Health Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 4001, South Africa.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected over nineteen million people globally with over 700 000 fatalities as of 9 August 2020. To date, Africa has recorded the least amount of COVID-19 confirmed cases. As of 9 August 2020, Africa has 1, 037, 135 cases compared to 10, 615, 855 in Americas and 3, 061, 264 in Europe. In this piece, the authors unpack the low numbers of laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa - is it a case of limited testing capacity due to poor health systems or otherwise?

Keywords: Africa; COVID-19; Testing capacity.