Sub-Saharan Africa has recorded its first coronavirus death after on Wednesday Burkina Faso announced the death of a 62-year-old woman who had been suffering from diabetes.
As of Wednesday, a tally of reported cases, compiled by AFP, stood at 576 for all of Africa and of these, 15 cases have been disastrous: six in Egypt, five in Algeria, two in Morocco, one in Sudan and one in Burkina Faso.
Although the figures are still comparatively small compared to the rest of the world, experts warn that the virus can cause great havoc on the continent given its weak health infrastructure, poverty, conflicts, poor sanitation and urban crowding.
A 2016 analysis by the Rand Corporation, a US thinktank, found that of the 25 countries in the world that were most vulnerable to infectious outbreaks, 22 were in Africa.
This resonates with a recent report by WHO Africa which observed that only 8 African countries were prepared to deal with the novel coronavirus.
Microsoft founder, Bill Gates who is also into philanthropic work warned that over ten million people could die in Africa for the same and obvious reason.
More: AFP
ah no, im sorry, i was hoping it would be a ZANOID