(Ecofin Agency) - Algeria announced yesterday February 25 a first case of Coronavirus, the second on the continent, after that reported in Egypt.

“The surveillance and alert system put in place at the national level made it possible to detect two (2) cases matching with the definition of a suspect case (fever, respiratory symptoms and the fact of having traveled to a zone of the Covid-19 coronavirus). The two suspected cases, of Italian nationality, aged 55 and 61, both with comorbidity, were treated in accordance with national guidelines,” the Ministry of Health indicated.

Of these two cases, only one person, who arrived in Algeria on 17 February, was confirmed positive. So far, the only case of coronavirus recorded in Africa has been detected in Egypt, where a non-resident was confirmed positive on 14 February 2020. In the context of the global expansion of the epidemic, the response capacity of African countries, which are considered ill-equipped, is of growing concern to WHO. According to the institution, Egypt, Algeria, and South Africa are at high risk, due to the density of air exchanges with the contaminated Chinese provinces and other countries where the virus has been detected.

More than 77,000 cases of coronavirus have already been reported since the virus appeared in December 2019, resulting in more than 2,700 deaths. Apart from China, around 30 countries around the world have already been affected.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou