Ramaphosa to brief WHO on SA’s virus strategy
The coronavirus is expected to be active on the African continent for a number of years, study says.
This is how President Ramaphosa meets online from his private residence in Johannesburg. Picture: Presidency
President Cyril Ramaphosa will today address the World Health Assembly on how South Africa is managing its Covid-19 outbreak.
The assembly is the supreme policy decision-making body of the World Health Organisation, governed by its 194 member states and consisting of health ministers.
According to the presidency, Ramaphosa will also brief them on broader African Union strategies, as part of South Africa’s current chairmanship of the AU.
“The president will use this opportunity to call on the international community and all member states to unite in global solidarity to tackle this global disease and to work together to develop solutions,” said a statement from the presidency.
The coronavirus could kill 150,000 people in Africa in a year unless urgent action is taken, according to a WHO modelling study that says nearly a quarter of a billion people will be infected.
The researchers said they expect the virus would likely circulate within the region for longer than other countries, possibly for several years.
Transmission is estimated to be greatest in small nations, with Mauritius found to have the highest risk of exposure.
Of the region’s large countries – South Africa, Cameroon and Algeria were also in the top 10 for exposure risk.
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