India COVID-19 crisis is a wake-up call for Africa – AU

The disease control agency of the African Union (AU) said on Thursday, India COVID-19 crisis is a wake-up call for Africa that its governments and citizens must not let their guard down.

The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), John Nkengasong said, If cases surged in a similar way, the continent of 1.3 billion would be even more overwhelmed than India.

“African nations generally do not have sufficient numbers of healthcare workers, hospital beds or oxygen supplies.

“We are watching with total disbelief, what is happening in India cannot be ignored by our continent,” he said.

With 1.35 billion people, India has a similar population size to the African continent, yet Africa has weaker health systems and unlike India does not manufacture significant quantities of drugs or vaccines.

Nkengasong urged Africans to wear masks and avoid large gatherings.

“We cannot and should not find ourselves in India’s scenario because of the very fragile nature of our health systems.”

“All political and religious gatherings and parties should be banned for the time being as they give the opportunity for the virus to spread,” he added.

Nkengasong said, AU will convene a meeting with all African ministers of health on May 8, to put everybody on alert.

READ ALSO: India’s COVID-19 death toll surpasses 200,000- Official data

Kamila/Aljazeera