This archive report was first published on 2 July 2021.
Published on July 2, 2021, DR Congo's head of Covid-19 response, Jean-Jacques Muyembe, has warned of a 'catastrophe' if the Delta variant continues to spread at its current rate.
The Delta variant, which first emerged in India, has now been reported in 16 countries across Africa, with DR Congo being one of the worst-hit nations.
According to Muyembe, the 'evolution of the Delta variant is very worrying', with the contamination rate being rapid and hospitals already overwhelmed.
"The contamination is rapid and if it continues, it will be a catastrophe in the DRC," Muyembe said in an online press conference held by the World Health Organization's Africa office.
"Our hospitals are overwhelmed, the morgues are overflowing, many politicians and university professors have been infected with the virus, and many have died," he added.
DR Congo has recorded 112 new cases over the past 24 hours, including 76 in the capital and epicentre of its epidemic Kinshasa, raising the country's total to 41,353. It has also recorded a total of 933 deaths.
WHO Africa director Matshidiso Moeti emphasized the need for quick action to strengthen prevention measures and avoid an emergency situation turning into a tragedy.
DR Congo, like other African countries, is struggling with a severe shortage of Covid vaccines, with only five million doses expected to arrive on Monday, paid for directly by the government.
