Burkina Faso Wednesday, March 18, became the first Sub-Saharan African country to report a fatality from COVID-19 since its outbreak.
Addressing the press, Burkina Faso’s national coordinator for a response to the virus, Professor Martial Ouedraogo, said that: “We recorded the death overnight of a female patient aged 62, who suffered from diabetes and was in intensive care.”
The fatality was the vice president of the Burkina Faso National Assembly, Rose Marie Compaoré according to reports.
With the addition of seven new cases in the country, Ouedraogo added that: “The number of patients (in Burkina Faso) stands at 27, comprising 15 women and 12 men.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa has so far 477 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, March 18.
Of these, 15 cases have been fatalities. They include six deaths in Egypt, five in Algeria, two in Morocco, one in Sudan and the recent one in Burkina Faso.
Rwanda is among African countries with this pandemic, whereby so far the country reported 8 confirmed cases.
Other African nations with this pandemic include Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania among others.
Some of the precautionary measures to follow so as to help tackle the pandemic include; avoiding unnecessary travels to countries with COVID-19, avoiding handshakes and hugs and frequently washing hands with soap and water or with an alcohol-based sanitizer.
The measures also include avoiding touching the nose, eyes or mouth before washing hands.
In Rwanda, citizens can also call 114- Rwanda Biomedical Center’s toll-free number, for further guidance.
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