Latest analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that Covid-19 cases on the African continent have been significantly under-counted, and that two-thirds of all Africans have been exposed to the virus.
Currently under peer review, the seroprevalence study revealed that the true number of infections could be as much as 97 times higher than the number of confirmed reported cases.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said during a media briefing that the confirmed Covid-19 cases are only a fraction of the actual number of infections on the continent.
“This under-counting is occurring world-wide and it’s no surprise that the numbers are particularly large in Africa where there are so many cases with no symptoms,” she said.
The analysis combined and examined 151 studies published on seroprevalence in Africa, between January 2020 and December 2021.
According to the studies, exposure to Covid-19 skyrocketed, from just 3% in June 2020, to 65% by September 2021.
“This suggests that more than two-thirds of all Africans have been exposed to the Covid-19 virus. This compares to the global average, where the true number of infections is 16 times higher than the number of confirmed reported cases,” said Moeti.
Exposure to the virus rose sharply following the emergence of the Beta and the Delta variants, according to the study.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recorded more than 11.5 million confirmed cases, and more than 252 000 deaths on the continent.
More than 209 million people, or 16% of the population, have been vaccinated in Africa.
Covid-19 exposure varied between countries and Africa’s sub-regions. Seroprevalence appeared to be highest in Eastern, Western and Central African regions. It was higher in the more dense urban areas than in less populated rural areas.
“The seroprevalence analysis shows just how much the virus continues to circulate, particularly with new highly transmissible variants. The risks of more lethal variants emerging which overwhelm immunity gained from past infections cannot be brushed aside. Vaccination remains a key weapon in the fight against Covid-19,” said Moeti.
Up to 65% of Africans have been infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes #COVID19, a WHO analysis finds. The study finds that true infections on the continent were 97 times larger than reported confirmed cases.
— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) April 7, 2022
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