Read: Africa's High COVID-19 Death Rates Are A Huge Concern
Approximately 110 000 cases were confirmed in the last week alone in Africa, with South Africa averaging 7219 new infections. According to ABS-CBN News, 70 percent of new cases were discovered from five countries including South Africa, Zambia, Tunisia, Egypt and Uganda. Zambia, however, is the where the coronavirus is spreading exponentially. South Africa's COVID-19 numbers are nearing two million, Morocco follows closely with half a million and Tunisia's records show 358 183 confirmed cases. Ethiopia and Egypt's case numbers are close to each other at 273 195 and 273 175 respectively.
South Africa initiated its vaccine rollout plan at the end of February but has faced outrage from citizens and political parties about the slow rate of vaccinations. Less than half a million of the population has been vaccinated, which is arguably miniscule compared to the population of approximately 58 million citizens. According to a recent News24 article, Africa vaccinates at an average rate of three percent per 100 inhabitants, meagre figure compared to the approximate global rate of 30 percent. According to MarketWatch, over a whopping 24.5 million vaccinations have been administered in the continent.
South Africa officially entered into the third wave with over 9149 cases recorded last week on June 4. Since May, the country has been at an adjusted level 2 lockdown.
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