BY DARGIE KAHSAY
According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, over 198 million COVID-19 cases are reported since the outbreak of the pandemic across the world with over 4.2 million deaths, as of August 02. Cases and deaths from COVID-19 have continued to climb, WHO stressed.
During his briefing on July 30, WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that almost four million cases were reported to WHO last week, only in a week. On the current trends, Dr. Tedros said the total numbers of cases are expected to pass 200 million only in the coming two weeks.
According to WHO in five of WHO’s six regions, COVID-19 infections has increased by 80 per cent which is nearly double over the past four weeks. Dr. Tedros Added that deaths have increased by 80 per cent during the past four weeks period.
According to him this high increment is driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the COVID-19. In addition, increasing social mixing and mobility, inconsistent use of public health and social measures and inequitable vaccine distribution contributes to the highly mounting COVID-19 cases this time.
According to WHO the Delta variant, the highly transmissible COVID1-9 variant has speeded to almost 132 countries, which leads to a mount the death reports due to COVID-19.
Tedros also announced that on response to the Delta surge, the WHO’s Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator is launching the Rapid ACT-Accelerator Delta Response, or RADAR, and issuing an urgent call for 7.7 billion U.S. dollars for tests, treatments and vaccines, UN reported on its website.
Meanwhile, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO COVID-19 Technical Lead stated that the Delta variant of the COVID-19 pandemic is the most transmissible variant yet.
According to the information on hand, the Delta variant has first found in the Indian state of Maharashtra in October 2020, then spread throughout India and to the world. Now, the virus is found in almost 132 countries of the world and is the most deadly and transmissible virus.
According to reports by the international media, in China, the rapidly spreading delta variant has reached over 20 cities within months after which it has declared strict lockdown in many cities. The capital city, Beijing, has cut all rail, bus and air links with areas where coronavirus cases have been found, and closed its doors to tourists during the peak summer holiday travel season, The Guardian reported.
According to Africa CDC statement on 29 of July, 21 African countries were reported the newly Delta variant cases as Africa hit by the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the Africa CDC regular weekly COVID-19 report, Dr. John Nkengasong, Africa CDC Director, last Thursday stated that over 6.5 million COVID-19 cases were reported so far in Africa which is 3.4 percent of the global reported cases. The total number of death reports of the entire continent have also exceeded 167 thousand with fertility rate of 2.5 percent, which represents four percent of global death reports, he noted.
According to him, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Ethiopia account for 53 percent of the cases reported on the continent, Africa CDC reported adding 56 percent of member states of the continent, which includes 31 countries, are now experiencing the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the 31 countries which are experiencing the third wave of the pandemic, 23 percent of them are experiencing the worst level than the previous waves of the pandemic, Dr. Nkengasong stated. Two additional countries, Ghana and Botswana joined during last week in experiencing the third wave, he added.
Hence, following the third wave hit to the continent, over 239 thousand new cases were reported only in a week in the continent with 6, 692 mew deaths with nine percent increase in death across the continent.
Africa CDC further announced that during the past four weeks, the continent’s COVID-19 cases have shown an average of four percent increment with 17 percent death increase. It added that, the continent’s total testing so far is limited to 58 million and the testing number has dwindled by 19 percent during the reported week.
Africa CDC director noted that the continent is experiencing the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Director advised the member states to implement serious COVID-19 protecting measures to minimize the side effects of the third wave including the fast and deadly Delta variant.
According to WHO to control the increasing of COVID-19 cases manly driven by the highly-transmissible Delta variant, countries should implement strong surveillance, strategic testing, providing early clinical care for patients, increasing well-trained and well-protected health workers and fast expansion of the vaccination.
But, interims of vaccination Africa is remain back though it is hitting by the fastest rising of the pandemic with the presence of more transmissible Delta variant. The continent’s vaccination journey is very low so far.
According to Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, though 820 million vaccine doses are needed to reach the target of vaccinating 30 percent of the continent’s population, mainly highly vulnerable, by the end of 2021. But, Africa still needs more than 700 million doses to reach the 30 per cent population target and this indicated that much more efforts are needed to expand the vaccination in Africa. The COVAX facility brings the total dozes delivered to the continent to 82 million dozes so far, according to her.
On Vaccine distribution, WHO’s Director General stated during his recent statement that the global distribution of vaccines remains unjust. Dr. Tedros added that in terms of vaccine distribution four regions are at risk, Africa being at the worst level. As predicted vaccine nationalism remains a series problem and WHO underlined that achieving the targets of WHO supporting all nations to vaccinate at least 10 percent by the end of September, 40 percent by the end of this year and 70 percent by the middle of 2022 is very difficult as it stands.
Nearly 70 percent of African countries are not expected to reach vaccination of 10 percent of their population by the end of September, WHO head said adding to meet the target 21 million dozes of vaccines must be distributed per week to the continent. But, currently, only 3.5 million doses of vaccines are distributed to Africa. He added that less than two percent of globally administered vaccines have been in Africa adding only less than 1.5 percent of the continent’s population is fully vaccinated.
Hence, Dr. Tedros strongly underlined that the inequitable and unjust distribution of vaccine remains a serious problem in combating the COVID-19 pandemic including the highly transmissible Delta variant.
Ethiopia has reported over 280 thousand 833 COVID-19 cases so far including 4,931 deaths. And Ethiopia announced that it has vaccinated over two million 221 thousand citizens so far. But, still, the pandemic remains a headache and continued consuming lives of citizens.
During a recent event prepared to thank health workers who are participating on COVID-19 protection and patient treatments, Health State Minister Alemtsehay Paulos stated that COVID-19 still remains a serious threat at national and international level.
According to the information from Ethiopian Public Health Institute on its week 29 Bulletin, there is growing alarming signs of the occurrence of third wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia.
Among the SARS-COV-2 Variants of Concern Alpha and Beta variants were detected in Ethiopia by the genomic sequencing conducted so far in Ethiopia and at Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), EPHI noted. The report regarding the new variants is already disclosed on July 13, 2021. Activities regarding genomic sequencing for other new variants, like Delta variant, are under way in Ethiopia, The Institute on its week 29 bulletin reported.
EPHI as usual advised citizens to act appropriately to protect themselves and families from the deadly pandemic as it is expanding across the globe with new variants.
The Ethiopian Herald August 4/2021
