The Ministry of Health, Population and Hospital Reform of Algeria has reported the country’s first case of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa announced this in a statement posted on its website.
According to WHO, health authorities report that tests indicate that an Italian adult, who arrived in the country on 17 February, 2020 has tested positive for coronavirus disease.
This follows Africa’s first COVID-19 case which was reported earlier this month in Egypt.
Algeria is one of the 47 countries in the WHO African region.
“This is the first case in the WHO African region.
“The window of opportunity the continent has had to prepare for coronavirus disease is closing.
“All countries must ramp up their preparedness activities,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa
She said Algeria was one of 13 countries, which WHO has identified as a top priority for preparedness measures due to their direct links or high volume of travel to China.
WHO is preparing to deploy a team of experts to Algeria to support health authorities.
The virus, which broke out in Wuhan, China, has now infected more than 80,000 globally, killing at least 2,700.