NAIROBI, Kenya: COVID-19 cases jumped over 20 percent in the past week in nearly two dozen African countries, according to a World Health Organization official.

Also, it has been reported that only 0.79% of Africans have been fully vaccinated.

“Africa is in the midst of a full blown third wave…We’ve seen in India and elsewhere how quickly COVID-19 can rebound and overwhelm health systems,” Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, told a news conference.

Covid-related deaths have increased by 15 percent in the past week, she said, with five countries — South Africa, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda and Namibia — accounting for 76 percent of the new cases.

Africa’s 1.3 billion people have not suffered from Covid as other peoples have, such as in India. However, Moeti warned that such a medical catastrophe could strike the continent’s vulnerable population.

Meanwhile, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned in April that African nations lack hospital beds and oxygen supplies to treat massive numbers of Covid cases.

To date, Africa has reported over 5 million COVID-19 cases, representing 2.9 percent of total cases globally.

Among other problems Africa faces is a diminishing stock of Covid vaccines. Five countries, including Sao Tome and Principe, Morocco, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Libya, report having administered over 90 percent or more of their vaccine stocks, according to the WHO.