AFRICA - The second wave of Covid-19 and Africa

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - "Several African countries are currently experiencing the second wave of the virus", says Fr. Charles Chilufya SJ, Coordinator of the Task Force Africa of the Vatican Covid-19 Commission and Director of the Justice and Ecology Office of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM). "Several countries have reported a further increase" over the past month. The novelty of this second wave is that the virus "has started to spread in densely populated areas". The governments of several African states are concerned about the evolution of the epidemic.
This concern shared by local Episcopal Conferences, such as that of Tanzania. In a statement sent to Agenzia Fides, the country's Bishops warn the faithful about the "new wave of coronavirus infections", which has led to an increase in the number of deaths. "Our country is not an island ...We must defend ourselves, take precautions, and cry out to God with all our might so that this scourge will not overtake us". The Bishops call on Tanzanians to double their efforts in the fight against the virus "using all the spiritual, physical, scientific and social arms".
"Let us not stop praying, maintaining social distance, washing and sanitising our hands, taking the necessary action when we see signs of illness and avoid congestion which can be dangerous".
In Zambia, the diocese of Ndola is considering of suspending liturgical celebrations because, according to a statement, "in most of our Parishes and institutions, the preventive measures of COVID-19 have been relaxed very much and, in some cases, even completely abandoned". We recall that the Church in Zambia has been heavily affected by Covid-19 (see Fides, 27/1/2021).
Africa is home to approximately 17% of the world population. As of December 31, John Hopkins University reported 2,743,670 coronavirus cases on the continent and 64,868 deaths, representing 3.31% and 3.58% of global cases and deaths respectively.
However, it is difficult to say whether or not these data are reliable as WHO has indicated that, compared to other regions of the world, tests for Covid-19 in Africa are few. South Africa tops the list of Covid-19 cases on the continent with just over 1 million reported cases and some 28,500 deaths. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 29/1/2021)

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