Coronavirus Africa summary: cases, deaths, news - 11 May
Coronavirus live Africa updates: cases, deaths and news - 11 May
Africa Covid-19 update: 01:00 WAT Tuesday 12 May (02:00 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 4,171,859 cases have been detected worldwide, with 285,690 deaths and 1,455,548 people now recovered.
Nigeria: 4,641 cases / 150 deaths
South Africa: 10,652 cases / 206 deaths
Ghana: 4,700 cases / 22 deaths
Kenya: 700 cases / 33 deaths
Testing, testing
In this photo a patient suspected of having Covid-19 is tested at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital isolation centre. Nigeria has 4,461 confirmed cases and has suffered 150 deaths.
Senegal cautiously re-opening
Senegalese President Macky Sall has announced the re-opening of mosques and churches and the easing of other restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus, even as the largest one-day jump in cases was recorded on Monday.
Sall ordered places of worship closed in March and imposed a dawn-to-dusk curfew. Since then, the daily pace of new cases has picked up, 177 on Monday from a previous high of 104, with increasing community transmission in hotspots such as the holy city of Touba.
Senegal has recorded 1,886 coronavirus cases in total, including 19 deaths.
Corona hair spikes in Africa
Raises awareness and is cheap to get done, mothers say - a boon with the economic hardship caused by coronavirus.
Locals, some wearing protective masks, are seen returning from work as South Africa starts to relax some aspects of a stringent nationwide coronavirus lockdown, in Soweto, South Africa, May 11, 2020. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
Africa CDC coronavirus updates
The African Union CDC has released its latest Covid-19 update as of 6pm EAT on 11 May.
Live WHO media briefing
Follow the latest on the global pandemic with the WHO's live press conference.
Kuwait joins Saudi move to reduce oil supply in June with 80,000 bpd cut
Kuwait joined Saudi Arabia on Monday in announcing fresh oil production cuts to be implemented in June, state news agency KUNA reported, citing Oil Minister Khaled al-Fadhel.
Kuwait will slash production by 80,000 barrels per day in June, on top of the cuts already agreed under a pact by the OPEC+ group of major oil-producing countries, the agency reported al-Fadhel as saying.
Kenya cases breakdown
The Kenyan Ministry of Health offered a detailed breakdown relating to new positive cases in the country.
South African Airways rescue team to appeal court ruling on layoffs
Administrators trying save South African Airways (SAA) will appeal a court ruling that ordered them to halt a layoff process, maintained one of the administrators Siviwe Dongwana.
The Labour Court's decision to side with two trade unions in its judgment on Friday was a major blow to the administrators as they have said that layoffs are necessary to avoid the airline being liquidated.
State-owned SAA has been fighting for its survival since entering a form of bankruptcy protection in December.
Its fortunes deteriorated when the coronavirus pandemic forced it to halt all commercial passenger flights and the government said it would not provide further funding.
The administrators have until the end of the month to draft a rescue plan for SAA, which has not made a profit since 2011 and has received bailouts worth more than 20 billion rand ($1.1 billion) over the past three years.
Africa overview
The latest 'at-a-glance' Covid-19 situation in Africa courtesy of the World Health Organisation.
Burundi announce resumption of domestic league and cup
Burundi's domestic season is to resume on May 21, more than a month after Africa's last remaining football competition was suspended to allow political rallies to be held in stadia ahead of general elections, authorities have confirmed.
While the remainder of the continent's domestic leagues have either been paused or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Burundi Football Federation (BFF) are ready to restart their league and cup competitions after the May 20 elections.
The country's top flight has three rounds remaining, with Ngozi-based Le Messager holding a four-point advantage at the top of the table over Musongati, who have a game in hand and will be the first back in action when they take on Athletico Olympic on Thursday next week.
BFF have also announced that the semi-finals and final of the country's domestic cup competition will be staged, with the decider to be held on June 13.
Second wave of COVID-19 cases sweeps Senegal's holy city
Senegal's holy city of Touba is fighting a second wave of COVID-19 infections, dashing hopes that swift action by authorities had stopped the new coronavirus from spreading in the one-time epicentre.
Confirmed cases in Touba have risen seven-fold to more than 190 since a market trader fell ill in April, ending a two-week lull in new cases. Now, as other countries in West Africa, including Nigeria and Ghana, are beginning to ease lockdowns to assist those whose livelihoods were disrupted, Senegal is tightening restrictions to try to contain the outbreak.
President says one person infected 533 with coronavirus at Ghana fish factory
A worker at a fish-processing factory in Ghana's Atlantic seafront city of Tema infected 533 other workers at the facility with the coronavirus, Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo said in a broadcast late on Sunday.
Ghana's health authorities reported the outbreak at the industrial facility late on Friday, but did not provide details.
"All 533 persons were infected by one person," President Akufo-Addo said. He did not provide details of how the disease spread in the facility or if safety measures had been in place.
He said that the 533 positive cases, which represents around 11.3% of Ghana's total infections, were part of a backlog of about 921 cases going back as far as April 26 that are only recently being reported.
The new cases pushed Ghana's total since the pandemic was first reported in the West African nation in mid-March to 4,700 as of Sunday night, the highest number of infections in West Africa.
Tunisia reports no new coronavirus cases for first time since early March
Tunisia recorded zero new coronavirus cases for the first time since early March, health authorities said on Monday, as the government will further relax restrictions on movement and businesses.
Tunisia, which reported its first case on March 2, has confirmed 1,032 cases in all and 45 deaths.
The North Africa country, which has about 500 intensive care beds, said 745 patients recovered and only 11 were still in hospital.
Tunisia started relaxing its coronavirus lockdown last week, reopening parts of the food, construction and transport sectors and allowing half of government employees to return to work.
Shopping centres, clothing shops and hairdressers will open on Monday, with more indications that Tunisia is close to controlling the pandemic.
Madagascar coronavirus herbal mix draws demand across Africa
Madagascar is putting its self-proclaimed, plant-based “cure” for COVID-19 on sale and several countries in Africa have already put in orders for purchase, despite warnings from the World Health Organisation that its efficacy is unproven.
The tonic, based on the plant Artemisia annua which has anti-malarial properties, has not undergone any internationally recognised scientific testing. While Rajoelina extolled its virtues, the WHO cautioned it needs to be tested for efficacy and side effects.
Madagascar has been giving away thousands of bottles of “COVID-19 Organics”, developed by the state-run Malagasy Institute of Applied Research.
Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Guinea Bissau have all already received thousands of doses of COVID-19 Organics free of charge.
Coronavirus Africa live updates: welcome
Hello and welcome our Africa-focused live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which has now registered more than 4 million cases worldwide.
We'll bring you the latest developments and statistics as they emerge throughout the course of today all across the continent and beyond.