80% of COVID-19 cases in Africa are asymptomatic (WHO)
Tuesday, 29 September 2020 17:13 
(Togo First) - In Africa, more than eight out of ten Covid-19 cases are asymptomatic or show few symptoms, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Since 20 July, the region has seen a steady decline in new COVID-19 cases,” and “80% of the cases are asymptomatic,” the international health body said.
Across the continent, few people fall ill (and even fewer are reported to be severe cases) or show symptoms of COVID-19 infection. This could explain Africa’s resilience to the virus and the low mortality rate recorded compared to other regions (the number of deaths in Africa is 80 times lower than the figure reported in the US).
According to some experts, notably the WHO, this could be due to the structure (demographic and urbanistic) of African societies. Also, available data suggests that young people, who are more resilient to the virus, are the most infected on the continent. This is in a context where it happens that the illness gets more severe the older the infected individuals are. In Africa however, the median age of the population is 20 years (19 years in Togo), and 41% of the African population is below 15 years old.
It is also worth noting that population density in African countries is far less significant than in other regions (despite multiple alarmist narratives about demographics and overpopulation). This could mitigate contact and subsequently the propagation of the virus. Lastly, the WHO says Africa's warm and humid climate could be among the factors explaining the decline of COVID-19 cases the continent records.
Vigilance is key
Nevertheless, the WHO warns against complacency, urging African governments to be cautious and to use localized and targeted responses like it was done in Togo, by the country’s COVID-19 response coordination team.
At present, over 1.47 million cases have been reported in Africa and 35,500 people have succumbed to the virus. Togo is one of the least affected in West Africa (in absolute value), with 1,749 cases and 47 deaths reported.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
