Africa's second COVID-19 wave could be linked with new variants

Vehicles queue at a drive-through coronavirus testing facility in Pretoria, South Africa, January 7, 2020. /CFP

The ongoing second wave of COVID-19 infections in Africa could be associated with the emergence of variants that are more transmissible, said the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Saturday.

"Africa is currently experiencing an increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases," the African Union (AU) Commission's specialized healthcare agency said in its latest publication on Saturday.

At least 40 countries have experienced a second wave of the pandemic as of January 27, including all countries in the Southern Africa region, the Africa CDC said.

According to the agency, preliminary findings show that three new similar but distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants, the 501Y/VUI - 202012/01, 501Y.V2, 501Y.V3, reported in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, respectively, "are significantly more transmissible than previously circulating variants, with high viral shedding observed among cases."

Despite the fact that there is currently limited data on the extent to which these new variants have spread in Africa, the Africa CDC stressed that preliminary data show that the 501Y.V2 variant has been reported in 22 countries globally including South Africa, Ghana, Botswana and Zambia.

The Africa CDC is working with partners and member states to map the regional spread of the new variants in Africa through regional genomic surveillance and support laboratory to address the emerging SARS-CoV-2 sequencing needs of member states.

According to the latest data from the Africa CDC, as of Saturday morning, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent stood at 3,534,360. The death toll related to the pandemic was at 89,839. A total of 3,014,896 people infected with COVID-19 have recovered across the continent.

The southern Africa region is the most affected area in Africa in terms of the number of confirmed positive cases, followed by the northern Africa region, according to the agency.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency