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Africa could see 300,000 coronavirus deaths this year

Africa Coronavirus
Jerome Delay/AP
FILE - In this Monday, April 13, 2020 file photo, homeless people get in line to receive food baskets from private donors during a lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. Wealthier Western countries are considering how to ease lockdown restrictions and start taking gradual steps toward reviving business and daily life. But many developing countries, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, can hardly afford the luxury of any misstep. South Africa, with the continent’s most cases, has been able to slow the pace of infections with a strict lockdown that remains in place at least until the end of April. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
Africa Coronavirus
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JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Africa could see 300,000 deaths from the coronavirus even under the best-case scenario, according to a new report that cites modeling from Imperial College London.

The report published Friday by the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa says that under the worst-case scenario with no interventions against the virus, Africa could see 3.3 million deaths and 1.2 billion infections.

Experts have warned that any of the scenarios would overwhelm Africa’s largely fragile and underfunded health systems.

Poverty, crowded urban conditions and widespread health problems make Africa “particularly susceptible” to the virus, the U.N. report said.

The continent as of Friday had more than 18,000 confirmed virus cases but Africa is weeks behind Europe in the pandemic.

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