Most COVID-19 Infections Are Undetected in Africa

A new assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) published on October 14, 2021, shows that about 14% of COVID-19 infections are detected in Africa.

The WHO analysis used the COVID-19 calculator that found that as of October 2021, the cumulative number of COVID-19 infections is estimated to be 59 million in Africa, which is seven times more than the over 8 million cases reported.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019, and as of October, more than 70 million COVID-19 tests have been reported by African countries, which is a fraction of the continent's 1.3 billion people.

By contrast, the United States, with about a third of the population, has reportedly administered over 580 million tests. In contrast, the United Kingdom, with less than 10% of the people of Africa, has administered over 280 million tests.

To reverse that trend and curb transmission, the WHO Regional Office for Africa today announced a new initiative to enhance community screening for COVID-19 in eight countries.

The new testing program aims to reach more than 7 million people with rapid diagnostic tests in the next year.

"Test numbers have been rising in Africa, but this community-based initiative is a radically new approach that should help significantly raise detection rates. More testing means rapid isolation, less transmission, and more lives saved through targeted action," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

As of October 8, 2021, the percentage of COVID-19 nucleic acid amplification tests that are positive reached 6.1% for the previous seven days in the USA.

And the U.S. FDA confirmed as of October 12, 2021, it had authorized 416 coronavirus diagnostic tests, including molecular tests, antibody tests, and antigen tests during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, molecular authorizations can be used with home-collected samples.