The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed worry about community transmission of COVID-19 in West Africa.
In a tweet on Thursday, the WHO Africa Regional Director, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said although many countries on the continent are making progress in the fight against the pandemic, the rate of community transmission in West Africa is on the increase.
“In terms of the situation in Africa, we are continuing to see an increase in cases,” she said. “What is very encouraging is that we have a number of countries who have reported zero cases over a couple of weeks.”
The WHO Africa chief added: “We are very concerned about West Africa where we are seeing community spread in a significant number of countries.”
Dr. Matshidiso admitted that it has not been easy for African governments to take decisions in the face of the COVID-19 as there is always a need “to balance” between the health of the people and the economy.
She, therefore, called for the use of data by various governments, warning that the virus may spread if cities are not on lockdown.
“We encourage very much the use of data so that when a government decides not to lock down a city, they need to be aware that there will be consequences in terms of the spread of the virus,” she explained.
According to her, governments across the continent must make tough decisions even as the disease ravages the world, stressing that “this is where we are worldwide.”
