Audio By Carbonatix
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is urging caution over the increasing number of African countries rolling back Covid-19 surveillance and quarantine measures.
The WHO says this is especially "worrisome in a continent that still has the lowest rates of vaccination in the world".
It said that because of the pressure to open up the economy, countries were cutting back on surveillance and other measures.
“It is a matter of concern that nearly half of all countries in Africa have stopped tracing the contacts of cases. This, along with robust testing, is the backbone of any pandemic response”, said WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, in a virtual press conference on Thursday.
The WHO’s caution comes amid a recent spike in Covid cases in other parts of the world.
“Lifting the public health measures does not mean lifting the foot off the pedal of pandemic vigilance,” Dr Moeti said.
About 201 million people or 15% of Africa’s population are fully vaccinated compared with the global average of 57%, according to WHO.
Latest Stories
-
Gauff’s flaw forgotten on winning US Open return
1 hour -
Birds stop play but Medvedev flies into third round
1 hour -
LA Clippers fined $30m by NBA over Leonard scandal
1 hour -
Uber to cut over 3,000 jobs in major global restructuring
2 hours -
Tiger Woods gets five-year driving ban after reckless driving plea
2 hours -
South African airline behind daring stadium stunt cancels next flyby
2 hours -
PURC urges ECG to address outages, metering delaysÂ
2 hours -
Police engage traders over alleged harassment, extortion on Aflao-Accra highwayÂ
2 hours -
Uber shuts operations in Nigeria and Uganda with immediate effect
2 hours -
Netherlands moves billions in gold to London in ‘crisis preparedness’ move
3 hours -
Legal vacation does not halt urgent court cases – Chief Justice
3 hours -
Keta residents react with mixed feelings to fresh fuel price hikeÂ
3 hours -
Managing Director on GH¢150,000 bail over five dud cheques
3 hours -
BOSTenergies reports strong 2025 performance, pays first-ever dividend to government
3 hours -
Carlos Queiroz reappointed as Black Stars head coach
4 hours