The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that Africa could take a significant hit from the latest wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, with current data showing that the growth of infections on the continent is now the fastest in the world.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in Africa had risen by 40 percent.
Official figures show that the continent’s Covid-19 cases have surpassed 5 million.
This comes as vaccine rollout in the region has remained slow.
“The growth of infections in sub-Saharan Africa is now the fastest in the world, with an explosive trajectory that is outpacing the record set in the second wave.
“At this pace, this new wave will likely surpass previous peaks in a matter of days—and in some countries, infections are already more than double, or even triple, their January peaks.
“The latest (delta) variant—reportedly 60 percent more transmissible than earlier variants—has been detected in 14 countries,” said the IMF.
“When the pandemic first hit, quick action by policymakers helped prevent infection rates seen elsewhere around the world. But it pushed already strained local health systems to the breaking point.
“Only six months after the initial crisis, the region experienced a second wave that swiftly outpaced the scale and speed of the first. Now, another six months on, sub-Saharan Africa faces its third devastating wave.”
According to the Bretton Woods institution, it is now essential to deliver vaccines to the region expediently, starting with a goal of 250 million by September.
“The only way for the region to break free from this vicious pandemic cycle is to swiftly implement a widespread vaccination program.”
The IMF has put forward a global proposal that targets vaccinating at least 40 percent of the total population of all countries by end-2021, and at least 60 percent by the first half of 2022.
Africa is expected to receive 30 percent vaccination coverage through COVAX and another 30 percent coverage through the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), established by the African Union.