South Africa holds the highest number of infections on the continent with 408,052 recorded cases and 5,940 deaths so far.Health ministry spokesman Popo Maja told AFP that 13,174 health workers had become infected as of Tuesday, including 103 deaths and 6,394 people declared recovered.
“The growth we are seeing in COVID-19 cases in Africa is placing an ever-greater strain on health services across the continent,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, at a news conference on Thursday. A combination of a recent spike in infections, staff shortages and a lack of personal protective equipment have been blamed for the infection increases.
The data revealed that by July 12, some 2.6 percent of COVID-19 hospital admissions in South Africa were healthcare workers.