Burkina Faso recorded its first death linked to the coronavirus, which is also the first in sub-Saharan Africa, the national coordinator against the epidemic announced on Wednesday.
“We recorded the death of a 62-year-old diabetic patient who was under intensive care overnight,” said Professor Martial Ouédraogo, coordinator of the response to the coronavirus epidemic in a press briefing. this very poor country in the Sahel.
Seven new cases were recorded in Burkina, “which brings the number of patients to 27, including 15 women and 12 men”, he continued.
A first case outside the capital Ouagadougou has been confirmed, in Bobo Dioulasso, the second city of the country, said Mr. Ouédraogo.
With these new cases in Burkina, the total number of coronavirus cases stands at 576 throughout Africa (North and Sub-Saharan Africa), including 15 deaths (6 in Egypt, 5 in Algeria, 2 in Morocco, 1 in Sudan and one in Burkina).
Burkina decided on Saturday to close all schools and suspend public and private events and rallies until the end of April, in an attempt to stem the spread of the epidemic.
Covid on Spread in Africa
South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, reported a more than one-third jump in cases on Wednesday, with 31 new infections bringing its tally to 116.
Nearby Zambia also announced its first two confirmed cases — a couple that returned to the capital Lusaka from a 10-day holiday excursion in France.
The news came after the poor Sahel nation of Burkina Faso reported seven new infections, increasing its total to 27, as well as the woman’s death overnight.
