Interim Guidance on the Use of Rapid Antigen tests for COVID-19 Response
Purpose of this guidance This document provides guidance to Ministries of Health (MOHs), laboratory personnel and implementing partners in African Union Member States on the application of rapid antigen tests to COVID-19 testing. The guidance serves as reference for policymakers, laboratory leads, implementing partners, and experts on use case scenarios and associated testing algorithms for […]
COVID-19 Scientific and Public Health Policy Update – (15 December 2020)
In addition to our Weekly Outbreak Brief on the spread of COVID-19 and the actions that Africa CDC is taking to help African Union Member States. Africa CDC shares a weekly brief detailing the latest developments in scientific knowledge and public health policy from around the world, as well as updates to the latest guidance […]
PERC: Biweekly Report (24 November – 07 December 2020)
Reporting period: 24 November–7 December Biweekly Report With the prospect of a widely available COVID-19 vaccine for Africa still months away, health officials are concerned that travel for the December holidays will increase cases and overwhelm health system that are already taxed. As many AU Member States—and countries around the world—experience second waves, the lack […]
Outbreak Brief 47: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
Outbreak Update: Since the last brief (1 December 2020), 4,079,785 new confirmed1 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and 92,430 new deaths have been reported globally. To date, a total of 66,451,512 COVID-19 cases and 1,532,973 related deaths (case fatality rate (CFR): 2.3%) have been reported from 221 countries and territories. This week, no new country […]
Questions and answers on COVID-19 vaccine
How do vaccines work? Vaccines work by tricking your body into thinking it has been infected with a disease-causing organism (also called germs) such as a virus, prompting it to develop an immune reaction to the organism itself. This can be done in many different ways including growing the germ in a laboratory and then […]
Medical PPE production in Africa: Promoting Local Manufacturers to support the COVID-19 Response (Workshop report)
Context: The global pandemic has highlighted fragility in international supply chains and the dependency of many African countries on imported personal protective equipment (PPE). Market pressures have also increased prices for imported supplies and put additional pressure on areas with limited resources for procurement. There is an urgent operational need to develop the domestic capacity […]
Responding to the Second Wave of COVID-19 in Africa
The number of new COVID-19 cases being reported daily in the months of July and August in Africa declined rapidly. This trend reversed during the month of October with many countries now experiencing either their first major increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases or their second wave of the pandemic. As the pandemic […]
Advisory on Disinfection Cards
Situation In the context of the ongoing pandemic there has been increased demand for products designed to control COVID-19 infection. The purpose of this advisory is to provide information to African Union Member States about issues surrounding disinfection cards, advertised as protective agents against SARSCOV-2 virus. This document synthesises evidence and provides recommendations to Member […]
Questions and answers on mask wearing
Questions and answers on mask wearing
Outbreak Brief 45: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
Outbreak Update: Since the last brief (17 November 2020), 4,123,778 new confirmed1 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and 68,185 new deaths have been reported globally. To date, a total of 58,436,142 COVID-19 cases and 1,385,469 related deaths (case fatality rate (CFR): 2.4%) have been reported from 221 countries and territories. This week, no new country […]