IOM RO Dakar COVID 19 Response - Situation Report 7 (14 May 2020)

In the West and Central African region, there have been 26,309 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 562 deaths to date (WHO, 13 May) with a steady increase in cases throughout the region including confirmed cases of local transmission in many countries. The number of confirmed cases however depends heavily on the number of tests performed and testing capacity remains weak in many countries. With a median age of just over 19, the population of the 23 West and Central African countries covered is among the youngest in the world. While youth has been shown to decrease substantially the severity of the disease, it is positively correlated to the number of asymptomatic cases which could make the disease harder to keep under control. Furthermore, other illnesses such as tuberculosis, malaria, yellow fever, meningitis, HIV, and outbursts of cholera are endemic and the impact that COVID-19 could have on segments of the population weakened by these diseases is unclear.