Africa can still contain COVID-19 outbreak -WHO

Africa can still contain the outbreak of the COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, a senior World Health Organization official said on Friday.

"I believe that African countries can achieve a lot more than maybe people outside expect," Mike Ryan, head of the WHO's emergency program, told a virtual news briefing.

"We don't believe the disease has passed the capacity to be contained," he said. He was speaking after the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa said the pandemic will likely kill at least 300,000 Africans and risks pushing 29 million into extreme poverty.