There is a sense that Africans are on the shore watching the sea draw back before the tsunami of COVID-19 infections hits, overwhelming the continent’s health facilities and killing thousands of people.
In late February, a handful of African countries had recorded a few COVID-19 cases. Egypt, Algeria and South Africa, with their high volume of air traffic from affected regions beyond the continent, were hit first.
But this week, the virus was in 43 of the 54 African countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the body’s director general, has warned the continent to “prepare for the worst”.
