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Coronavirus summary: Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Ghana... cases, deaths and news, 3 June

Update:
Members of a caravan of migrants from DR Congo, Ghana and Ivory Coast head along the Pan-American highway near Choluteca, in Honduras, to the capital Tegucigalpa for a stop on their way to Mexico, on June 2, 2020 amid the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. (P

Coronavirus live Africa: latest Covid-19 news - 3 June

Africa

Africa Covid-19 update: 23:00 WAT on Wednesday 3 June (00:00 CEST Thursday 4 June)

According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 6,390,085 cases have been detected worldwide, with 383,226 deaths and 2,771,084 people now recovered.

Nigeria: 10,819 cases / 314 deaths
South Africa: 35,812 cases / 755 deaths
Ghana: 8,297 cases / 38 deaths

Equatorial Guinea sacks WHO rep over Covid-19 stats

 

Equatorial Guinea has joined Burundi as two of the countries that have asked World Health Organization country representatives to leave.

AFP reported the development citing a document from the foreign ministry and a source at the UN health agency The issue is believed to be related to false Covid-19 statistics.

WHO representative Triphonie Nkurunziza is accused of “falsifying” the country’s tally of coronavirus cases. Dr Nkurunziza however remains in Malabo for now because there are no outbound flights.

“We don’t have a problem with the WHO, we have a problem with the WHO’s representative in Malabo,” Prime Minister Pascual Obama Asue, told the Senate late last week

Dr Rachel Chikwamba to discuss Africa's Covid-19 response

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Group Executive Dr Rachel Chikwamba will discuss Africa's response to the  Covid-19 pandemic and how the continent can prepare itself for a similar health crisis. Her address, which begins at 14:00 hours WAT, can be followed on Zoom.  

Congo

Two more people infected with Ebola in new Congo outbreak

The Ebola virus has infected two more people in Equateur province in western Democratic Republic of Congo and spread to a new area 150 km (93 miles) away from the original six cases, the World Heath Organization said on Wednesday.

On Monday Congolese authorities confirmed tests showing that four people had died of Ebola in the western city of Mbandaka. Congo had been preparing to declare itself Ebola-free this month. An epidemic of the virus on the other side of the country has killed more than 2,200 people since 2018.

The two outbreaks are the same strain of the virus, which means the same vaccines can be used to help contain its spread, health officials say, although they are not thought to be linked. "The latest person confirmed with Ebola attended the burial of one of the first cases, but was detected in the town of Bikoro, 150 kilometres away from Mbandaka," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists. 'This means that two health zones are now affected.'

Ebola is endemic to Congo whose Ebola river gave the virus its name when it was discovered there in 1976. Congo's health system, which has been hobbled by decades of war and mismanagement, is fighting the world's worst measles epidemic as well as the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected over 3,000 and killed 75 people.

Honduras

African, Caribbean migrants continue trek towards US border

Migrants from Africa and the Caribbean, stranded in Honduras after Central American countries closed their borders to curb the spread of the coronavirus, continue their march north in an attempt to reach the United States.

Honduras currently allows only cargo trucks in and out of the country, but migrants and a local official said the group is determined to reach first Mexico and then the United States.

According to civil society group ACI-PARTICIPA, the caravan was made up of 101 mostly Africans and Haitians, but also 12 Cubans and five Peruvians. Honduran migration authorities put the number of people at 70. About 260 people have been stranded in Honduras since mid-March when countries in the region closed borders. 

Kano fertiliser factory closed down for alleged adulteration

Kano State Fertiliser Company (KASCO) has been shut down by the Federal Government for allegedly adulterating fertilisers and manually mixing the components of the NKP 20:10:10 blend of the agricultural input.

In a viral video, labourers at the factory were seen manually mixing fertiliser raw materials with shovels and filling the bags on the factory floor.

 

Covid-19 update from Ghana

 

Twenty Covid-19 patients discharged in Lagos

Lagos has discharged 20 more coronavirus patients, The PUNCH reports.

The Health Ministry confirmed that 14 males and six females all Nigerians (11 from Gbagada, eight from Eti-Osa and one from Agidingbi Isolation Centres) have been discharged from our Isolation facilities to reunite with the society after testing negative twice for the virus.

Nigerian Air Force deploys all-female crew for the first time

Historic moment for the Nigerian Air Force who conducted an operational Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission with an all-female crew for the first time.

Flying Officers Oluwabunmi Ijelu and Genevieve Nwaogwugwu as Captain and Co-Pilot, respectively, with Sergeant Njoku Patience as the Airborne Tactical Observation System mission operator and Lance Corporal Shawulu Godiya as the on-board technician. Flying Officer Ijelu is the first female officer to become a Captain on a NAF aircraft.

Covid-19

WHO set to resume hydroxychloroquine trial in battle on COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to resume its trial of hydroxychloroquine for potential use against the new coronavirus, its head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday, after testing was suspended due to health concerns.

Tedros also told an online media briefing he was "especially worried" about the outbreak in Central and South America, where infections have been spreading rapidly.

Debt relief for poorest countries could extend beyond 2020, G7 says

(Reuters) Finance ministers from the Group of Seven nations on Wednesday underscored their commitment to implementing official bilateral debt relief for the world's poorest countries through year-end and possibly longer as they deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

In a lengthy joint statement, the G7 finance ministers urged all official creditors to join the initiative, called for strengthened reporting of public debt data, and said all creditors - public and private - should make responsible lending decisions in line with debt sustainability guidelines.

123 new cases reported in Kenya

Kenyan authorities said a further 123 cases of Covid-19 had been reported in the country, taking the total to over 2,000

Uganda leads the way in coronavirus testing

Uganda has reported no deaths from Covid-19 despite the number of confirmed cases but has carried out the highest number of tests in the EAC. 

South Africa

A teacher holds a thermometer to take learners' temperatures at the entrance of a school on their first day back, after a nationwide lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease in Cape Town, South Africa. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham/File Photo

Africa cases top 155,000

The latest statistics show more than 155,000 reported cases of Covid-19 in Africa, with more than 4,300 deaths. Egypt, South Africa and Algeria have been the hardest-hit countries. 

Everyone is focusing on the here and now but this report takes a look at the longer-term challenges faced by South Africa after the coronavirus pandemic.

Africa

Members of a caravan of migrants from DR Congo, Ghana and Ivory Coast block the Pan-American highway after being stopped by agents of the Honduran National Police near Choluteca, as they were heading to Tegucigalpa to make a stop on their way to Mexico, in Honduras on June 2, 2020 amid the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by ORLANDO SIERRA / AFP)

There are 153,325 confirmed infections and 64,793 recoveries, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Experts warn fragile healthcare systems in many African countries could be overwhelmed in the face of a severe outbreak of COVID-19.

Gambia calls for transparent probe of U.S. police shooting of diplomat's son

Gambia's government called on Tuesday for a credible and transparent investigation into the shooting death of one of its citizens by U.S. police in the state of Georgia last Friday.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said in a statement on Friday that it had been asked by the police department in the town of Snellville to investigate an officer involved in the shooting of a driver following a car chase.

The GBI identified the driver on Tuesday as Momodou Lamin Sisay, who lived in the nearby town of Lithonia. Sisay, 39, is the son of Lare Sisay, a Gambian diplomat who also worked for the U.N. Development Programme.

Coronavirus live Africa updates: welcome

Hello and welcome to our live, Africa-focused coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has now seen well over six million cases worldwide.

Join us for the latest news and numbers as they emerge throughout the day