COVID-19: Unpacking the Low Number of Cases in Africa

Overview

Journal Public Health Pract (Oxf)

Date 2021 Jun 26

PMID 34173573

Citations 59

Authors

Itai Chitungo

Mathias Dzobo

Mbuzeleni Hlongwa

Tafadzwa Dzinamarira

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected over nineteen million people globally with over 700 000 fatalities as of 9 August 2020. To date, Africa has recorded the least amount of COVID-19 confirmed cases. As of 9 August 2020, Africa has 1, 037, 135 cases compared to 10, 615, 855 in Americas and 3, 061, 264 in Europe. In this piece, the authors unpack the low numbers of laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa - is it a case of limited testing capacity due to poor health systems or otherwise?

Citing Articles

Factors of progression to severity and death in COVID-19 patients at two health care sites in Bamako, Mali.

Traore A, Toure M, Coulibaly Y, Keita M, Diarra B, Sanafo S BMC Infect Dis. 2025; 25(1):77.

PMID: 39825241 PMC: 11742798. DOI: 10.1186/s12879-025-10456-x.

The role of inflammatory gene polymorphisms in severe COVID-19: a review.

Yip J, Oo A, Ng Y, Chin K, Tan K, Chu J Virol J. 2024; 21(1):327.

PMID: 39707400 PMC: 11662554. DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02597-3.

Updated Surveillance Metrics and History of the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-2023) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Longitudinal Trend Analysis.

Lundberg A, Soetikno A, Wu S, Ozer E, Welch S, Mason M JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2024; 10:e53409.

PMID: 39013111 PMC: 11541149. DOI: 10.2196/53409.

COVID-19 vaccination uptake among healthcare workers in Ghana: A comprehensive analysis of knowledge, attitude, perceived vaccine effectiveness, and health belief model constructs.

Mbele W, Dako-Gyeke P, Ndapewa Frans A PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024; 4(5):e0002738.

PMID: 38696400 PMC: 11065266. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002738.

Low iron mitigates viral survival: insights from evolution, genetics, and pandemics-a review of current hypothesis.

Menshawey R, Menshawey E, Alserr A, AbdelMassih A Egypt J Med Hum Genet. 2024; 21(1):75.

PMID: 38624521 PMC: 7738201. DOI: 10.1186/s43042-020-00114-z.

References

Hopman J, Allegranzi B, Mehtar S . Managing COVID-19 in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. JAMA. 2020; 323(16):1549-1550. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2020.4169. View

Patel P, Adebisi Y, Steven M, Lucero-Prisno Iii D . Addressing COVID-19 in Malawi. Pan Afr Med J. 2021; 35(Suppl 2):71. PMC: 7875776. DOI: 10.11604/pamj.supp.2020.35.2.23960. View

Rutayisire E, Nkundimana G, Mitonga H, Boye A, Nikwigize S . What works and what does not work in response to COVID-19 prevention and control in Africa. Int J Infect Dis. 2020; 97:267-269. PMC: 7289731. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.06.024. View

Araz O, Ramirez-Nafarrate A, Jehn M, Wilson F . The importance of widespread testing for COVID-19 pandemic: systems thinking for drive-through testing sites. Health Syst (Basingstoke). 2020; 9(2):119-123. PMC: 7476486. DOI: 10.1080/20476965.2020.1758000. View

Nkengasong J . Let Africa into the market for COVID-19 diagnostics. Nature. 2020; 580(7805):565. DOI: 10.1038/d41586-020-01265-0. View

Kumleben N, Bhopal R, Czypionka T, Gruer L, Kock R, Stebbing J . Test, test, test for COVID-19 antibodies: the importance of sensitivity, specificity and predictive powers. Public Health. 2020; 185:88-90. PMC: 7287442. DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.06.006. View

Kavanagh M, Erondu N, Tomori O, Dzau V, Okiro E, Maleche A . Access to lifesaving medical resources for African countries: COVID-19 testing and response, ethics, and politics. Lancet. 2020; 395(10238):1735-1738. PMC: 7252104. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31093-X. View

Gilbert M, Pullano G, Pinotti F, Valdano E, Poletto C, Boelle P . Preparedness and vulnerability of African countries against importations of COVID-19: a modelling study. Lancet. 2020; 395(10227):871-877. PMC: 7159277. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30411-6. View

Esbin M, Whitney O, Chong S, Maurer A, Darzacq X, Tjian R . Overcoming the bottleneck to widespread testing: a rapid review of nucleic acid testing approaches for COVID-19 detection. RNA. 2020; 26(7):771-783. PMC: 7297120. DOI: 10.1261/rna.076232.120. View

10.

Kuguyo O, Kengne A, Dandara C . Singapore COVID-19 Pandemic Response as a Successful Model Framework for Low-Resource Health Care Settings in Africa?. OMICS. 2020; 24(8):470-478. DOI: 10.1089/omi.2020.0077. View

11.

Moorthy V, Restrepo A, Preziosi M, Swaminathan S . Data sharing for novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Bull World Health Organ. 2020; 98(3):150. PMC: 7047033. DOI: 10.2471/BLT.20.251561. View