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Coronavirus Africa summary: cases, deaths and news - 15 May

Update:
A police officer walks past people waiting in queues for food aid for the second time in two weeks, after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he aims to further ease restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Sun

Coronavirus live Africa updates: cases, deaths and news - 15 May

Africa

Africa Covid-19 update: 02:00 WAT on Saturday 16 May (03:00 CEST)

According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 4,534,952 cases have been detected worldwide, with 307,108 deaths and 1,633,389 people now recovered.

Nigeria: 5,450 cases / 171 deaths
South Africa: 13,524 cases / 247 deaths
Ghana: 5,530 cases / 24 deaths
Uganda: 203 cases / 0 deaths (no data available)

A pause...

We're going to take a break from our live coronavirus coverage for a couple of hours, but we'll be back before you know it to bring you the latest developments in the crisis as they emerge throughout Saturday. Thanks for reading.

Koranic school children unwittingly help spread the coronavirus in Nigeria

Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic

Covid-19

Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic

Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic

All the information you need to understand the coronavirus and ways to stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic:

WHO warns of potential coronavirus toll in Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Africa risks registering 250 million coronavirus cases and nearly 200,000 deaths if the Covid-19 pandemic is not properly contained on the continent.

SA

Workers in Cape Town wear face masks at a fabric shop during the nationwide coronavirus lockdown in South Africa. (Photo: REUTERS/Mike Hutchings)

Drinks makers look for ways to ease booze ban in SA

Industry leaders desperate to see South Africa ease a 50-day ban on alcohol sales met government officials on Friday with a view to finding a way to resume trading, Bloomberg Africa has reported.

Malawi election rallies cause concern amid Covid-19 crisis

Nigeria gov doesn't know where Chinese medical experts are

Nigerian’s government says it does not know the whereabouts of a 15-person team of Chinese medical professionals who arrived in the African country in April. They had travelled to Nigeria to support the nation’s battle against the spread of the coronavirus. 

“There seems to be a lot of interest in these doctors but they are staff of a company,” Nigerian health minister Osagie Ehanire said on Thursday. “I would be very happy if you do not ask me where they are.

They are not really our guests in that sense but we have been able to learn some things from them. We shared ideas of what they did in their country in managing Covid-19.”

South Africa

Enjoying the outdoors

Joggers and walkers in Cape Town make the most of allocated exercise time during the nationwide coronavirus disease lockdown in South Africa. (Photo: REUTERS/Mike Hutchings)

Air travel: how will it change after coronavirus

Coronavirus

Air travel: how will it change after coronavirus

Up in the air

The future of air travel is as uncertain as it has ever been, more so than after 9/11, and we consider what a flight post-Covid-19’s arrival may look like:

WHO warns of coronavirus losses in Africa

According to the World Health Organization, up to 150,000 people in Africas could lose their lives to Covid-19 unless urgent action is taken. The study also predicts 230 million people will be infected with the virus. 

Water worries in SA

The knock-on effects of the deaths associated with Covid-19 are of huge significance.

Beer

Jo'burg homebrew

Pineapple home-brewed beer is fermenting on the kitchen table of a suburban house during the national coronavirus lockdown, in Johannesburg, South Africa, 15 May 2020.

South Africa's strict lockdown laws have banned the sale of alcohol, causing massive losses for brewing companies, bars, restaurants, and others. Conversely, home-brewed beer has risen sharply with pineapple beer being one of the most popular to make. (EFE/EPA/KIM LUDBROOK)

SA restrictions

The National Coronavirus Command Council, the government body overseeing efforts to contain the virus, will review the restrictions for each district every two weeks, Mkhize added, saying the country was moving away from a “one-size-fits-all” approach. 

It was not immediately clear whether there would be restrictions on movement between districts, which vary widely in size and in population.

Stigma obstacles

Every country and continent is facing its own challenges in the fight against Covid-19. The BBC digs deeper into one of Africa's.

Women's issues

28% of respondents think that African governments are taking women’s issues into consideration as they develop policies to address Covid-19.

Sweden to avoid second wave

It's always worth keeping an eye on other nations...

'Sweden’s response has not been perfect, but it has succeeded in bolstering immunity among the young and the healthy—those at the lowest risk of serious complications from Covid-19—while also flattening the curve.'

Read the full analysis

Egyptian care

Although Samy was not blinded directly by the virus, government officials said that he will be transferred from Kafr El-Sheikh Hospital to the International Medical Center and treated at the state’s expense. 

South Africa-Scotland postponed

World Rugby has postponed every rugby union test match scheduled for July because of the coronavirus pandemic, the world governing body said on Friday.

Global travel bans, strict quarantine protocols and player safety concerns meant that "cross border international rugby competition cannot be hosted in July", the body said in a statement.

Most cross border and domestic club rugby competitions have been suspended since March as countries moved to halt spread of the disease.

World champions South Africa were due to host Scotland and Georgia in July, while Wales and Ireland were scheduled to visit New Zealand and Australia respectively, with England heading to Japan.

Wildlife concerns

It's not just the human population that is being hit by the pandemic.

WHO predictions

The coming weeks and months are critical for the continent to slow the spread of Covid-19.

A look back

The news continued to roll throughout yesterday so if you are looking for a recap, here's what was making the headlines.

Coronavirus live Africa: welcome

Hello and welcome to our live, Africa-focused coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which has now registered just over 4.4 million cases worldwide.

We'll be looking to bring you the latest news and numbers as they emerge throughout the course of the day.