Johannesburg — The new coronavirus, officially called SARS-CoV-2, has infected more than three million people worldwide – 31,000 in Africa by 26 April – with Egypt, South Africa, Morocco and Algeria having the most confirmed cases. According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the death toll across the continent totals 1390, with 9,380 than 8300 recoveries reported.
Public health experts warn that true case numbers across the continent are far higher. Without widespread testing, for which few countries have the capacity, an accurate count is impossible.
Women and girls are at high risk for rape and sexual violence, as well as death – whether from armed conflicts, from conditions in refugee camps or from domestic violence while trapped at home with their abusers. Mandatory lockdowns have limited women’s access to life-saving support, including sexual and reproductive health clinics. Deaths in childbirth, already high, are expected to climb.
The combined effect is catastrophic in countries affected by armed conflict and by humanitarian emergencies, such as the locust invasion across eastern Africa. Those fleeing from their homes to crowded camps, where physical distancing is impossible, face increased risks of illness from COVID-19.
The pandemic’s impact on the informal sector is potentially devastating. Restrictive measures – such as limited hours in markets on alternate days and bans on the sale of non-food items in markets – disproportionately hit women, who are a majority among market sellers and other informal workers. There have been cases of police brutality against informal workers, including women, who continued to sell goods for their livelihoods. Read more…
