COVID-19 Situation Report No. 8 for UNFPA West and Central Africa

Regional Highlights

• The total number of COVID-19 positive cases has reached over 232,854 in all 23 countries in West and Central Africa, after Nigeria reported the first case earlier in the year. By the end of September 2020, there were 3,603 deaths, with a mortality rate of about 1.6%. A little over 22.000 (9.6%) patients were still under treatment, while 88.9% had recovered.
• The pandemic continues to spread at a much slower rate. The five countries with the highest confirmed caseloads are: Nigeria (59,345), Ghana (46,829), Cameroon (20,875), Côte d'Ivoire (19,849) and Senegal (15,094).
• Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Sao Tome and Principe have the highest percentage of recovery: 98.5% 97.8% and 97.3% respectively, while Chad and Liberia have the highest case fatality rates, 7.1% and  6.1%.
• Health worker infections continue to increase gradually with 8,384 infections reported in 22 WCA countries since the beginning of the outbreak. Nigeria remains the most affected, with 2,175 health workers infected, followed by Ghana (2,065), Cameroon (808), Guinea (513), Equatorial Guinea (429), Senegal (349) and  Guinea-Bissau (282). 
• UNFPA supports continuity of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender-based violence (GBV) services, with 16,458 safe deliveries recorded in UNFPA-supported facilities in Benin, Togo, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. Over 111,964 women and youth accessed SRH integrated services in UNFPA-supported facilities in the region; 2,960 contact-tracers were trained and deployed: 2,254 women and girls subjected to gender-based violence, including those with disabilities, accessed essential services (health, social, police and justice).