At the end of the month of April, the Africa CDC reported the following statistics on the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa:

Total cases: Over 4.5 million COVID-19 cases had been reported, (4,534,748). This accounted for 3.1% of total cases reported globally.

Total recoveries: Over 4 million people have recovered, (4,068,383). This accounts for 90% of the total cases reported in Africa.

Total deaths: Over 121,000 deaths have been reported, (121,154). This results in a case fatality rate (CFR), of 2.7%, and accounts for 4% of deaths reported globally. The CFR is higher than the global average of 2.1%. 38% of Member States, (21 countries), are reporting elevated CFRs.

The following five countries account for 64% of all cases reported in Africa.

○ South Africa: 35% of total cases (1,578,450)

○ Morocco: 11% of total cases (510,465)

○ Tunisia: 7% of total cases (305,313)

○ Ethiopia: 6% of total cases (255,288)

○ Egypt: 5% of total cases (225,528)

VARIANTS

At the end of April 2021, 20 member states were reporting the B.1.1.7 variant and four additional member states were reporting the B.1.351 variant, bringing the total for that variant to 22.

The AfricaCDC said the virus will continue to mutate and called upon Member States and the public to observe preventative measures including proper hand washing, wearing of face masks, and social distancing as much as possible.

Four week trend analysis

The following are trends analysis over the past 4 epidemiological weeks, (29 March - 25 April 2021):

New cases: There was an overall 0.3% average decrease in new cases reported in Africa each week.

The following was the regional breakdown:

• 12% increase in the Northern region
• 5% increase in the Southern region
• 4% decrease in the Eastern region
• 11% decrease in the Western region
• 18% decrease in the Central region

The following is a breakdown by the most populous countries in Africa:

DR Congo: 15% average increase

Egypt: 8% average increase

South Africa: 5% average increase

Ethiopia: 5% average decrease

Nigeria: 12% average decrease

Kenya: 14% average decrease

New deaths: There has been an overall 3% average increase in new deaths reported in Africa each week. The following is a breakdown by the most populous countries in Africa:

• Kenya: 8% average increase
• Ethiopia: 7% average increase
• Egypt: 2% average increase
• South Africa: 4% average decrease
• DR Congo: 21% average increase
• Nigeria: 69% average decrease

COVID-19 vaccine update

As of 26th April 2021, a total of over 37.1 million vaccine doses had been acquired by Member States, with approximately 17.9 million doses having been administered. This figure corresponds to a coverage of just 1% (0.99%), at the continental level, with 0.37% of the population having received a full vaccine regimen.

In terms of progress, the following are the top five Member States that have administered the most doses of COVID-19 vaccines (based on available country data):

• Morocco (8.9 million doses, having used 82.8% of its supply, 11.4% of the population fully vaccinated)
• Nigeria (1.2 million doses, 27.7% of supply, 0.57% of the population vaccinated)
• Ethiopia (908 578 doses, 36.3% of supply, 0.79% of the population vaccinated)
• Ghana (842 521 doses, 100% of supply, 2.71% of the population vaccinated)
• Kenya (822 650 doses, 80.7% of supply, 1.53% of the population vaccinated)

Advice on rare thrombotic blood clots

On 24th April, Africa CDC published an updated statement to Member States following reports of rare thrombotic and blood clots events associated with the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in the USA. It said current evidence following reviews by regulatory agencies underscored the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, notably in regions where the 501Y.V2 variant is prevalent.

The position of Africa CDC therefore was that the benefits of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks for people who receive it and that national health care authorities should reinforce vaccine safety monitoring. The center also said health care providers and clinicians should be informed of the risk of thrombotic thrombocytopenia in order to recognize and properly manage this very rare adverse event.

Return of vaccines by the DRC

Media reports in April indicated that Democratic Republic of Congo will be returning 1.3 out of the 1.7 million vaccine doses distributed via the COVAX initiative to UNICEF, due to a delay in vaccination over safety concerns of the AstraZeneca vaccine- (Announced by Susie Villeneuve, UNICEF’s Regional Adviser for Health Systems Strengthening). These vaccines are set to expire on 24th June and will be redistributed to other countries before the listed expiration date.

Situation in India and advise to member states

The AfricaCDC highlighted the tragic challenges facing India and the lessons it is learning from this situation to avoid similar scenarios on the continent. It said factors that can lead to this devastating scenario include:

• Low public health safety measures (PHSM) implementation following a false sense of beating the virus.

The center advised Africans to remain aggressively vigilant in observing safety measures, especially in light of upcoming elections, such as religious holiday gatherings, school graduations, and other large events.

• Low vaccination coverage. The AfricaCDC urged Member States to quickly utilize their vaccine consignments and vaccinate as many citizens as they can. It reminded everyone that the continent continues to experience COVID-19 vaccine scarcity, and so it recommended that Member States utilize all incoming vaccine supplies, as the benefits far outweigh the rare risks reported with use of the vaccines.

*Republic of Tanzania has not reported since May 2020