More than two-thirds of Africans have been infected with Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. This is 97 times more than the confirmed cases officially declared, according to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) published Thursday, April 7.
According to this study, by September 2021, 800 million Africans had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, while 8.2 million cases had been reported. The WHO considers that the undercounting of true infections was occurring everywhere, but was greatest in Africa. Globally, actual infections were 16 times higher than confirmed cases, she said.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, added that the continent’s high exposure to the virus and the current drop in infection rates did not mean the continent could claim victory over Covid. “The risks of emergence of variants that are more lethal, stronger than the immunity acquired during previous infections cannot be ruled out”she said in a statement, calling for increased testing.
Only 16% of the African population vaccinated
The study found that exposure to the virus increased from 3% in June 2020 to 65% in September 2021, with sharp increases after the arrival of Beta and Delta variants. Studies estimate that 45% of the world’s population had been infected by September 2021, but the WHO said comparisons were difficult because the studies covered different time periods.
Africa has to date fully vaccinated 209 million people, or 16% of its population. The WHO and other agencies are trying to increase vaccination rates but are running into low uptake, partly due to the idea that vaccination is less useful because the now-dominant Omicron variant is less virulent.
The Organization says that vaccinating people who have already been infected provides better protection than that offered by infection-induced immunity alone.
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