Fed’s Powell opens door to potential rate cuts at Jackson Hole
(Corrects spelling of Africa CDC director's name in paragraph
2)
By Giulia Paravicini
ADDIS ABABA, March 19 (Reuters) - Africa will likely see
increasing numbers of coronavirus cases in coming weeks because
it's "very likely" that some cases are slipping through the net,
the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control said on
Thursday.
"We are picking some people but we are also missing some
people," said Africa CDC director John Nkengasong. "The
situation will get worse before it gets better because the
chances are clear that people have slipped through."
The virus has multiplied in Africa more slowly than Asia or
Europe, but 34 African nations have now reported a total of more
than 600 coronavirus cases. Worldwide, it has infected nearly
220,00 people and killed nearly 9,000, according to a Reuters
tally.
Nkengasong said the number of confirmed cases in Africa was
expected to rise in coming days and travel bans would delay but
ultimately fail to contain the virus.
"Anyone who has followed pandemics over the years you know
that that doesn't work," he told a news conference. "When you
lock down countries, you should understand clearly how to unlock
the country."
One possible scenario, he said, was "people are coming in
and they are slipping through and we are not picking them. It is
very likely."
Nkengasong said testing was going to increase as more kits
became available. U.S. company Abbott ABT.N , Swiss-based Roche
Diagnostics ROG.S and California-based Cepheid's GeneXpert
were all ramping up production, he said. The testing could be
rolled out quickly through existing infrastructure for HIV
testing, he said.
"We have now three companies that are now producing
commercially available tests," he said. "We have received 2000
tests from China and we have since passed that on to supporting
countries. We are expecting to receive another 10,000 tests from
China, hopefully next week.”
Many countries worldwide have suspended flights, closed
their borders and banned public gatherings to curb its spread.