Zambia At High Risk Coronavirus Epidemic

The World Health Organization says Zambia is among high risk countries in Africa for the coronavirus outbreak.

According to Who Country Representative Dr. Nathan Bakyaita, the WHO Africa Office has identified 13 priority countries at higher risk of contracting the corona virus due to links and connections to countries where the virus is happening and Zambia is one of them.

And Dr Bakyaita says with the coronavirus fast spreading to various parts of the world, the who has procured protective clothing to help zambia guard against the deadly virus.

He told Phoenix News that the international organization has collaborated well with the Zambian government to avoid any outbreak in the country and that the protective clothing and equipment are expected in the country anytime soon.

To date, only three cases of infection have been officially recorded in Africa, one in Egypt, one in Algeria and one in Nigeria, with no deaths.

This is a remarkably small number for a continent with nearly 1.3 billion inhabitants, and barely a drop in the ocean of more than 86,000 cases and nearly 3,000 deaths recorded in some 60 countries worldwide.

Shortly after the virus appeared, specialists warned of the risks of its spreading in Africa, because of the continent’s close commercial links with Beijing and the fragility of its medical services.

“Our biggest concern continues to be the potential for Covid-19 to spread in countries with weaker health systems,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, told African Union health ministers gathered in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on February 22.

This is the first case of the virus in sub-Saharan Africa.