African health ministers call for vigilance in fight against coronavirus

African health ministers have called on governments across the continent to step up vigilance and head off a possible resurgence of coronavirus infections.

The ministers, who had gathered for a virtual Seventieth Session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for Africa on Wednesday, made the call against the backdrop of increased cases of coronavirus being recorded on the continent over the past three weeks.

As of Nov 22, 18 countries reported an increase of more than 20 percent in the last seven days when compared with the previous seven.

From Oct 19 to Nov 15, Africa recorded a 9 percent average increase in the number of new cases, according to the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jacqueline Lydia Mikolo, minister for health and population in the Republic of Congo and chairperson of the 70th Regional Committee, called for increased high-level political commitment, solidarity, information-sharing and research on traditional medicines in the fight against coronavirus.

Mikolo called for commitments to preserve the gains made and a steadfast effort to contain a possible second wave of coronavirus in Africa.

She said it's crucial to fight complacency in observing coronavirus preventive measures by strengthening communication and epidemiological surveillance.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, emphasized the importance of prevention, especially as people travel or gather for end-of-year celebrations.

"As we observe cases surge in parts of Europe and the Americas, and an uptick in our regional daily cases graph, we cannot be complacent. We need to prepare for a resurgence, including scaling up precautions in risky situations such as festival and election-related gatherings," she said.

Lia Tadesse, the minister of health in Ethiopia, said all must continue being vigilant in testing, isolation and treatment, and maintain strong communication on non-pharmaceutical interventions.

"The coronavirus pandemic is a crisis unlike anything any of us has experienced in our lifetimes, yet it can be a catalyst for building the safer, healthier and more sustainable Africa we all want," Tadesse said.

Zweli Mkhize, minister of health in South Africa, stressed the need for engagement at the highest levels for quick, evidence-based decisions and timely use of innovative technologies.

This is in addition to public and private sector collaboration and addressing the knock-on socioeconomic impact of the pandemic, particularly among the most vulnerable groups.

"Right now, we are going through this coronavirus fatigue, in communities who are tired of wearing masks and observing physical distancing," Mkhize said. "We also have health workers who have been through a heavy burden, and now that the resurgence is coming, they are also showing a lot of fatigue. These are the areas we need to keep focusing on."

As of Nov 25, Africa had recorded a total of about 2.1 million confirmed cases, representing 3.6 percent of total cases reported globally and 50,337 deaths, accounting for 3.6 percent of the global figure.