国际英语新闻:Africa CDC chief to visit Kenya after rise in COVID-19 infections

NAIROBI, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said Thursday he planned to visit Kenya to discuss the measures to intensify the fight against the spread of COVID-19 pandemic after a notable 34 percent rise in new infections.

Nkengasong said during a weekly webinar meeting that he is also set to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the ongoing effort to support countries to handle the pandemic, which has recorded an eight percent increase across Africa.

"We cannot relent on our efforts to bend the curve. The virus tends to give you a sign that you are winning and it comes back more severely. We are strongly advocating for the control measures including the wearing of masks which we appeal to countries to subsidize masks," Nkengasong said.

Kenya's ministry of health managed to curb the spread of the virus with the strict implementation of a nationwide lockdown, which included a ban on inter-county transportation and free movement of people, the closure of schools, social distancing, the closure of all areas of worship and closure of bars.

However, the measures, which included a dusk-to-dawn curfew was later lifted and gradually de-escalated, when the figures from the daily results tests showed the virus was gradually slowing down.

Kenya's health ministry Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe reported an increased number of cases in October, with daily average infections rising at between 15 and 18 percent with over 100 deaths reported nearly every week during the last month.

In East Africa, the Africa CDC said there has been an increase of eight percent in the number of newly infected people over the past four weeks.

Across Africa overall, there is also an eight percent rise in new infections that the Africa CDC attributed to the easing of movement.

"It is citizen responsibility which will help us to make any progress," Kagwe said in recent remarks, emphasizing the need to re-examine the measures in place to curb the spread of the virus.