Coronavirus-linked deaths in Africa surged by 43 percent in the space of a week, driven by a lack of intensive-care beds and oxygen, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. Fatalities associated with COVID-19 in the WHO’s Africa region, which includes North Africa, rose to 6,273 in the week of July 5-11, compared with 4,384 in the previous week. It is crucial that African countries to beef up oxygen production to help patients suffering from the disease’s worst symptoms, she said, speaking from the Congo capital of Brazzaville. The meeting is to discuss World Bank aid for African countries over the next three years. The talks have been brought forward by a year to help poor countries cope with the impact of the pandemic.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 15, 2021 15:00 UTC