The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed 3 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of officially recognized cases in the country to 7. The new cases were confirmed by health officials in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
This comes after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi convened an ‘extraordinary meeting’ of cabinet ministers Tuesday to “discuss with the government the best approach to warn the population against any attack by the COVID-19 pandemic,” his office said.
The Central African country’s first case was confirmed on March 10, when a Congolese national returned to Kinshasa after spending time in France.
Many analysts have observed that the country’s extensive experience with Ebola has left it well-positioned to take on the threat posed by the novel coronavirus. Organizational structures, stocks of protective gear, machines for detecting symptoms and laboratory equipment for analyzing samples can all be pivoted to defend against this new and growing threat, the WHO observed in February.
