More than two thirds of Africans may have been exposed to Covid, or contracted the virus, in the last two years, a number 97 times higher than the official figures of reported cases, says a study by the WHO (World Health Organization).
Laboratory tests detected 11.5 million cases of Covid-19, and 252,000 deaths on the African continent.
However, the WHO study – which has yet to undergo review – revealed this Thursday (7) that official figures present “probably only a part of the real extent of coronavirus infections in Africa”.
“A new analysis […] reveals that the true number of infections is up to 97 times higher than the number of confirmed cases,” said WHO Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti, Botswana.
“He [o estudo] suggests that more than two-thirds of all Africans may have been exposed to the Covid-19 virus,” he added.
The document analyzes more than 150 studies, published between January 2020 and December last year, and indicates that exposure to the virus rose from just 3% in June 2020 to 65% in September 2021.
“In real terms, the study assumes that in September 2021, instead of the 8.2 million officially reported cases, there were 800 million,” Moeti said.
Due to limited access to disease detection centers on the continent, many cases among the African population have not been reported.
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