Coronavirus infections surging in Africa’s vulnerable rural areas

The Delta variant of Covid-19, that has devastated India, has been detected in at least 14 African countries, including Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Residents of Zvimba, in rural Zimbabwe, have their temperatures taken before seeking treatment at the local hospital. Picture: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP

A new coronavirus surge is finally penetrating Africa’s rural areas, where most people on the continent live, spreading to places that once had been seen as safe havens from infections that hit cities hard.

Healthcare facilities in the rural areas are poorly staffed and lack the resources to handle the spike in infections, while hospitals in cities are under strain as they are treating an increasing number of people coming from the countryside.