In response to the announcement that Africa has reached over 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, Edwin Ikhuoria, Africa Executive Director of the ONE Campaign, said: 

“Although Africa has been spared of the high numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases, compared to other continents, the 1 million mark sounds an alarming bell for the continent. To put things in perspective, that’s one in every 1000 African citizens being confirmed to be infected by the virus.  

“While the expected total collapse of the fragile health system has not happened as predicted, Africa is still faced with a triple whammy of threats – A weakening of the already fragile health system; deepening financial pressures and liquidity crises; and food security threats. 

“The remedy to combat COVID-19 for Africa and the world still lies in the ability of global leaders to come together and implement a coordinated response.”

For interviews with Edwin Ikhuoria, please contact [email protected] +27 63 698 1093 (mobile)

Notes to Editors

• In May, the ONE Campaign launched the ONE Africa COVID-19 Tracker, a one-stop-shop to illustrate the health, economic and social impacts of COVID-19 in Africa. The tracker offers the latest COVID-19 cases and deaths, economic trends, remittances, debt relief, food security as well as the steps countries are taking to respond to the crisis.