Guinea-Bissau confirms first two cases of coronavirus

Guinea-Bissau has registered its first two cases of coronavirus, Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam said on Wednesday.

The patients are a Congolese UN employee and an Indian citizen, and both have been placed in quarantine, he said, adding that public transport would be suspended to limit the spread of the virus.

On Wednesday the total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 across Africa had risen to over 2,400, with 60 people dying from related causes. The World Health Organisation has said that the known statistics in all probability do not reflect the true extent of the spread of the coronavirus, which has put considerable strain on the world’s health services.

There are particular concerns for how Africa will cope in managing its response to this pandemic, given the widespread reality of lack of access to essential sanitation and healthcare, and the fact that the vast majority live in extreme poverty.