Nigerian Centre for Disease Control lab. operators Photo: Twitter/NCDC

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that Africa could become the next epicentre of COVID-19 which first broke out in Wuhan, China.

According to the WHO, a sharp rise in the number of confirmed cases and the lack of an adequate number of ventilators in the continent could make this a reality.

”There have been almost 1,000 deaths and more than 18,000 infections across Africa so far, although these rates are far lower than those seen in parts of Europe and the US but the virus appears to be spreading away from African capitals,” WHO added.

The WHO director in Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, told the BBC that countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon and Ivory Coast have had cases reported in towns far from major cities.

She also pointed out that Africa lacks the capacity to treat the virus which is why prevention is being focused on.

Moeti said, “We want to minimize the proportion of people who get to the point of needing critical care in an ICU, because we know that these types of facilities are not adequate by any means in the majority of African countries.”

“I have to say the issue of ventilators is one of the biggest challenges that the countries are facing.

”For patients critically ill with COVID-19, access to a ventilator could be a matter of life or death,” she added.

. COVID-19: Africa May Become Next Epicentre – WHO Follow Concise News.