Europe has 4,000 ICU beds for every million people. Parts of Africa have 5, health officials say.
The total number of beds in intensive care units available for use during the spread of coronavirus in 43 countries in Africa is less than 5,000. This is about five beds per one million people in those parts of Africa compared, to 4000 beds per one million people in Europe, the World Health Organization reports.
There are also less than 2,000 functional ventilators in 41 countries in Africa.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Africa has risen to more than 10,000.
While the virus was slow to reach the continent compared to other parts of the world, infection have grown exponentially in recent weeks and continues to spread, WHO reports.
Africa’s first coronavirus case was recorded in Egypt on Feb. 14. Since then, a total of 52 countries have reported cases.
