Africa COVID trajectory is ‘very concerning,’ WHO official says

FILE PHOTO: A woman receives a dose of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, as South Africa rolls out the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination to the elderly at the Munsieville Care for the Aged Centre outside Johannesburg, South Africa May 17, 2021. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo/File Photo

GENEVA — The trend of COVID-19 cases in Africa is very concerning, a senior World Health Organization official said on Friday.

Absolute numbers do not make Africa look in bad shape, said Mike Ryan, the WHO’s top emergency expert, adding that in the last week it had recorded just over 5% of global cases and 2.2% of deaths.

But given the level of underdiagnosis, he told a news conference: “It’s a trajectory that is very, very concerning.”