Africa's COVID-19 infections surpass 4.5 million mark

FILE PHOTO: A local isolation ward for patients with COVID-19 in Machakos, Kenya, July 28, 2020. /VCG

The number of COVID-19 infections in Africa has surpassed the 4.5 million mark, as the continent's death toll topped 120,000.

According to the latest figures published by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), some 4,506,054 cases had been confirmed across the continent by Monday, with 120,145 fatalities.

South Africa remains the hardest-hit country by the pandemic in Africa, having registered 1,575,471 infections with 54,148 deaths.

The country's caseload is by far more than the tally recorded in Morocco, whose 509,363 cases are the second-highest in Africa.

South Africa's death toll is also far more than the second highest toll, 13,049, recorded by Egypt.

A wider look at the Africa CDC data shows that nine countries on the continent have reported more than 100,000 COVID-19 infections, while some 14 have recorded more than 1,000 virus-related fatalities.

Many countries on the continent have rolled out mass vaccination programs in efforts to contain further spread of the virus.

Initial focus of the inoculations is on healthcare workers and other high-risk groups, including the elderly and people with underlying health conditions.

Various government have also imposed containment measures, including nighttime curfews, closures of non-essential businesses, lockdowns and mandatory wearing of face coverings.