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UNICEF West and Central Africa Coronavirus (COVID-19) Situation Report No. 4 (Reporting Period: 4 June - 15 June 2020)

Countries
Benin
+ 21 more
Sources
UNICEF
Publication date

Highlights

  • As of 15 June 2020, a total of 74,485 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1,546 associated deaths, were reported in the West and Central Africa Region (WCAR), representing a 35% increase since June 3rd, 2020.

  • 21 out of the 24 countries of the region are reporting cases of community transmission.

  • 2.9 million people have been reached with critical WASH services and 47,500 healthcare facilities staff and community health workers were trained in infection prevention and control procedures.

  • Since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly 480,000 children have been directly reached with child protection services, including 466,481 children reached with mental health and psychosocial support and more than 7,000 children without parental care have been provided with alternative care.

Situation Overview and Needs

The COVID-19 pandemic continues its progression in West and Central Africa (WCAR). WCAR accounts for 44% of confirmed cases and 37% of deaths in the Africa region. The top 5 countries in WCAR reporting the highest number of confirmed cases are: Nigeria (15,181), Ghana (11,118), Cameroon (9,864), Senegal (5,090) and Côte d'Ivoire (4,848) representing 62% of all confirmed cases. In WCAR, West Africa accounts for 68% of all confirmed cases.

The case fatality rate (CFR) is still quite high in West Africa, especially in Central Sahel countries already affected by humanitarian crises (Niger: 6.65%, Burkina Faso: 5.93% and Mali: 5.86%) and in countries with weak health systems like Liberia (7.17%), Mauritania (5.15%) and Sierra Leone (4.51%). In Central Africa, only Chad still reports a high CFR (8.49%) followed by Congo (3.21%).

One of the main concerns in the region is the impact of the pandemic on health care workers. The number of infected frontline health workers in Africa has increased from 2,217 health providers infected on 26 May to 4,830 as of 7 June in 36 countries, with 2,453 (51%) of them from 21 countries in WCAR. The top 5 countries reporting the highest number of health workers infected by COVID-19 are Nigeria (812), Cameroon (293), Niger (184), Guinea (134) and DRC (131).