Africa: Virus cases cross 20,000, deaths top 1,000

By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) – More than 20,000 coronavirus cases and 1,000 deaths have now been reported in 52 of Africa's 54 countries, according to data compiled by the Africa Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (Africa CDC).

The total number of COVID-19 cases on the continent reached 20,270 on Saturday after 1,478 people tested positive over the past 24 hours.

The death toll moved to 1,025 after 58 more fatalities were reported in various countries.

Recoveries were up by 307 to 4,700, according to the Africa CDC data.

North Africa is the hardest-hit of the continent’s five regions, followed by West, Southern, Central, and East Africa.

Egypt remains the continent’s worst-affected country, with 2,844 cases and 205 deaths.

It is followed by South Africa, which has 2,783 cases and 50 deaths, while Morocco is third with 2,670 cases and 137 deaths.

Algeria is fourth in terms of cases – 2,418 – but has the highest death toll in Africa at 364.

The novel coronavirus has spread to 185 countries and regions since emerging in China last December, with the U.S. and Europe now the hardest-hit areas in the world.

More than 2.27 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll above 156,000 and recoveries close to 580,000, according to data compiled by the U.S.’ Johns Hopkins University.