A 62-year-old female whose death was reported on Wednesday in Burkina Faso has become the first known Coronavirus fatality in sub-Saharan Africa.
The patient died in intensive care overnight and suffered from diabetes, government officials told the press.
The number of patients in Burkina Faso stands at 26 or 27, with over 230 contacts being monitored while sub-Sahara Africa has confirmed more than 400 infections, with South Africa reporting over 200.
Nigeria, which reported SSA’s first virus case, confirmed five new case Wednesday, bringing its total cases to eight.
Governments in the region have moved to tighten preventive measures with Nigeria and Ghana among the countries that have announced travel bans on countries deemed high-risk.
