The World Health Organization is pleased with Africa’s progress in the fight against COVID-19.
Speaking at the 70th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, Director-General Tedros Adhanom said the continent had made positive steps in the quest to defeat the virus.
He noted that all African countries had put in place facilities for the detection and response to the virus.
“All countries in Africa now have a preparedness and response plan in place,” said Tedros.
“All countries on the continent now have lab testing capacity for COVID-19, compared with just 2 at the beginning of the pandemic.”
Tedros also noted that the Who had shipped millions of test kits and tons of protective equipment to many countries in Africa, to aid in their responses to the pandemic.
His remarks came as the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Africa neared the 1.2 million mark.
According to figures from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Africa’s COVID-19 infections stood at 1,195,297 on Tuesday, with a death toll of 27,984.
In his briefing, Tedros also noted that the virus had proven that health was a critical aspect of human life.
“COVID-19 has taken so much from us. But it has also reminded us that health is not a luxury item; it the foundation of social, economic and political stability,” he said. “We’re all in this together. And with national unity and global solidarity, we will overcome this pandemic together.”
