Major African stats: May 16 at 7:30 GMT:
Confirmed cases = 78,280
Number of deaths = 2,624
Recoveries = 29,245
Active cases = 46,411
Infected countries = 54
SUGGESTED READING: rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Africa II
Zimbabwe extends lockdown level 2 indefinitely
Congo evacuates citizens from Europe
Lesotho confirms index case
Comoros records first case
US support for Kenya, South Africa; Africa’s equipment crunch
Africa case increase worries experts
Mauritania virus-free
Tanzania MP infected
Zimbabwe quarantines UK returnees
Madagascar announces COVID-19 treatment
Africa will suffer Trump’s WHO move
Burundi voters locked out
Tanzania’s three-days of prayer
Malawi imposes lockdown as president’s court hearing starts
Uganda speaker unveils COVID-19 combating spray
US joins Africa in fight against Chinese racism
AU appoints four-member international liaison team
Two prominent deaths
AU protests Chinese mistreatment of Africans
SUGGESTED READING: rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Africa I
May 16: Over 100 Congolese return from Europe
Over 100 Congolese nationals stranded in Europe returned to the country on Friday, local UN-run media outlet Radio Okapi reports.
The South African president is also current chairperson of the African Union, AU; he is leading Africa’s most impacted country and the continent’s effort to get international support to fight the pandemic.
Africa dangerously behind in global race for virus gear
As Africa braces for a surge in coronavirus cases, its countries are dangerously behind in the global race for scarce medical equipment.
AP
April 23: Africa’s 43% jump in virus cases in 1 week worries experts
Africa registered a 43% jump in reported COVID-19 cases in the last week, highlighting a warning from the World Health Organization that the continent of 1.3 billion could become the next epicenter of the global outbreak.
African governments reported a total of nearly 26,000 cases as of Thursday, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up from just over 16,000 a week ago.