Coronavirus Africa news summary: cases and deaths - 2 May
Coronavirus live: latest Covid-19 Africa news - 2 May
Africa Covid-19 update: 02:00 WAT Sunday 2 May (03:00 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 3,421,834 cases have been detected worldwide, with 243,524 deaths and 1,092,715 people now recovering.
Nigeria: 2,388 cases / 85 deaths
South Africa: 6,336 cases / 123 deaths
Ghana: 2,169 cases / 18 deaths
Kenya: 435 cases / 22 deaths
A brief statement from the presidency on Sunday provided no additional details about Gon Coulibaly's health status.
Herding chats
You'll have been listening to some governments and others talking about herd immunity. If you want to know more about it, check out this NY Times piece.
Daily trends update
The usual trends thread from the Financial Times shows how countries around the world are progressing, based on reported figures.
Buffett optimism
“This is quite an experiment,” Buffett said. “I remain convinced ... that nothing can basically stop America.”
Daily Covid-19 update for 2 May
This graphic from Daily News Egypt gives a breakdown of reported coronavirus cases on 2 May country by country.
IMF approves $3.4bn in emergency funding to Nigeria
The International Monetary Fund has agreed to provide $3.4 billion in funding to Nigeria to help the country battle the social and economic pressures of the coronavirus outbreak, Bloomberg reports.
South Africa Covid-19 update
South Africa has recorded over 6,000 cases of Covid-19 to date, with over 100 fatalities, according to the latest statistics.
Amnesty warns of dangers of hunger, malaria during Covid-19 crisis
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to hit African resources, Amnesty International has warned that the twin dangers of hunger and malaria cannot be overlooked by national governments.
South Africans have been taking to the streets as lockdown measures are eased. There have been just over 100 deaths in South Africa with over 5,000 confirmed cases but the government believes they have enough control over the virus as of now to let people out to exercise.
Covid-19: Anti-coronavirus nasal spray, Neumifil, in works in UK
Covid-19: Anti-coronavirus nasal spray, Neumifil, in works in UK
The UK-based company Pneumagen says it is developing a drug that could be effective in blocking the coronavirus' pathway into the lungs.
Remdesivir gets FDA approval to treat Covid-19 patients - Trump
What is Remdesivir?
The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorisation for Gilead’s remdesivir drug to treat the coronavirus, the US president said on Friday.
Lagos to ease lockdown as of Monday
The Nigerian city will ease restrictions according to the Guardian's Emmanuel Akinwotu.
"The lockdown in Lagos, which accounts for more than half of Nigeria’s 2,000 confirmed infections, is due to gradually ease from Monday. Yet the impact on millions, particularly those living on the edge in daily informal labour has been acute.
Amid limited government support, an outpouring of hundreds of initiatives has emerged across Lagos, providing food and essential goods. A range of food and aid distribution has been set up by NGOs, private businesses, community groups and local people."
Kenya to embark on large scale testing programme
100 people are set to be tased per day in Busia County.
Guinea ends top-flight league season early
Guinea have become the third African country inside 24 hours to declare a premature end to their soccer season in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, following on the heels of Angola and Kenya.
The season, which started in October, had only reached the halfway stage and was due to be completed in June.
"We don't know when this pandemic will go away. With the approach of the rainy season and the presence of the pandemic, we have decided that we have to stop the championship," Mathurin Bangoura, president of the Guinean Professional Football League told reporters on Friday.
No champions will be crowned but the top four in the standings at the time of the league's suspension will compete in next season's continental competitions - the African Champions League and the African Confederation Cup. There will also be no promotion or relegation.
Mauritius became the first African country earlier this month to call a halt to its season because of the coronavirus outbreak. Kenya and Angola followed, but clubs in Madagascar voted to attempt to carry on after a meeting on Thursday.
Zimbabwe extends coronavirus lockdown again
Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa extended a nationwide lockdown to fight the new coronavirus by two more weeks and announced a $720 million stimulus package for distressed companies, most which will be allowed to reopen on Monday.
The southern African nation first announced a three-week lockdown in March and then extended that, prior to the latest extension. The lockdown has shuttered an economy struggling with acute shortages of foreign currency, food, electricity and medicines.
Informal markets - where more than 80% of Zimbabweans earn their living - will remain shut, while big businesses will reopen under supervision.
Apple advice
The Covid-19 screening app developed by tech giant Apple has been updated on Friday with new information about coronavirus symptoms and tips related to face masks.
Thousands of Ethiopian migrants quarantined in universities wait to go home
Thousands of Ethiopian migrants expelled from the Middle East and African countries are being quarantined in universities in a sign of the strain placed on vulnerable nations by mass deportations amid the coronavirus crisis.
Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Somalia and other countries have deported more than 5,000 illegal migrants to Ethiopia since April 1, according to the U.N. migration agency.
Health minister Lia Tadesse said Ethiopia was providing for the migrants - 13 of whom had tested positive for COVID-19 - and acknowledged concerns about spreading the virus to villages by sending them home.
"We are taking care of them and will continue to take care of them although, of course, it's demanding in many aspects," Tadesse told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.
The U.N. has warned that mass expulsions of illegal migrants by Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia risks spreading the virus and overwhelming quarantine efforts.
Cologne confirm three positive Covid-19 cases
German club Cologne have confirmed three people at the club tested positive for coronavirus five days before a meeting about the Bundesliga's future.
Coronavirus: can Covid-19 be spread through water?
Can Covid-19 be spread through water?
Although it has been proven that SARS is transmittable through untreated water, there is currently no evidence that Covid-19 can be considered a waterborne disease.
Hello and welcome to our Covid-19 live updates and breaking news live feed from Africa. Today is Saturday May 2nd and we will bring you news, comment, opinion and statistics throughout the day as things continue to develop during the coronavirus pandemic.