COVID-19 timeline by country in Africa

[9] New strains of the virus were found in December 2020 in South Africa and Nigeria, in addition to the Lineage B.1.1.7 variant reported in the United Kingdom in September.

[10] The African Union secured close to 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in the largest such agreement yet for Africa; it was announced on 13 January 2021.

This is independent of the global Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (COVAX) effort aimed at distributing COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income countries.

[16][15] According to WHO prediction modelling estimates Algeria faces a relatively high risk for a spread of COVID-19 if containment measures such as contact tracing are not prioritized.

One was an English national employed at a gold mine in the country who vacationed in Liverpool and came back on 10 March, transiting through Vancouver and Paris.

[35] According to WHO prediction modelling estimates Cameroon faces a relatively high risk for a spread of COVID-19 if containment measures such as contact tracing are not prioritized.

[37][38] The country's first case was announced on 14 March, with the patient being identified as a 74-year-old Italian man who returned to the Central African Republic from Milan, Italy.

[1] Egypt's health ministry announced the first case in the country at Cairo International Airport involving a Chinese national on 14 February.

[57] The infected persons were among the Egyptian staff aboard the Nile cruise ship MS River Anuket, which was travelling from Aswan to Luxor.

On 7 March 2020, health authorities announced that 45 people on board had tested positive, and that the ship had been placed in quarantine at a dock in Luxor.

The video that showed the medical staff in distress, resuscitating a man with the help of a manual ventilator went viral on the Internet, inviting global attention concerning the government's shortcomings in handling the pandemic.

An investigation led by the New York Times found otherwise in which statements given during interviews by both, the patients' relatives, as well as the medical staff, confirmed the cause of death as deprivation of oxygen.

Tilahun Woldemichael, an Ethiopian Orthodox monk who is said to be 114 years old, was released from the hospital on 25 June after being treated with oxygen and dexamethasone for coronavirus.

[69] The country's first case was announced on 12 March, a 27-year-old Gabonese man who returned to Gabon from France 4 days prior to confirmation of the coronavirus.

[72][73] On 11 March, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, made the cedi equivalent of $100 million available to enhance Ghana's coronavirus preparedness and response plan.

[90][91] In August 2020 the government of Malawi instituted additional measures including mandatory mask wearing in public areas to stem the spread of the virus[92] On 25 March, the two first cases were confirmed in Mali.

[96][non-primary source needed] Since the first three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on 18 March 2020, the Mauritian authorities have been conducting 'Contact tracing': people who have been in contact with infected patients have been placed under quarantine, including doctors, nurses and police officers.

As of 15 May 2020[update], more businesses were allowed to operate, namely bakeries, hardware stores and fish markets and the opening hours of supermarkets were extended to 20 00 hrs.

These guidelines and regulations were in line with Government's strategy to ensure that there is no risk of the propagation of COVID-19 as the country gradually prepares itself to allow certain economic activities to resume as from 15 May 2020.

[112] On 17 March, President Hage Geingob declared a state of emergency as a legal basis to restrict fundamental rights, e.g. to freely move and assemble, guaranteed by the Constitution.

A 21-day lockdown of the regions of Erongo and Khomas was announced for 27 March with inter-regional travel forbidden, excluding the commuter towns of Okahandja and Rehoboth.

[121][119][122] The test was confirmed positive by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

[122] On 28 February, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health announced that the Italian man had travelled on Turkish Airlines with a brief transit at Istanbul.

On 19 July 2020, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, a member of the presidential task force on COVID-19, also announced he had tested positive.

[132] In Nigeria, there were fears everywhere that the chief of staff, Abba Kyari who had tested positive for the coronavirus may have transmitted it to more people including governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi, minister of information, Lai Mohammed, special assistant to the president on media, Garba Shehu; minister of special duties, George Akume; minister of state for FCT, Ramatu Tijani; Geoffrey Onyeama, and other dignitaries and visitors at the prayers held on 17 March 2020, for the deceased mother of the Kogi State governor.

[172] By 29 May, a surge of reported deaths in North Darfur raised fears of a serious outbreak in the region, although testing remains poor.

[36] Before there were any confirmed cases in the country, President Emmerson Mnangagwa had declared a national emergency, putting in place travel restrictions and banning large gatherings.

[206][207] The country's defence minister Oppah Muchinguri caused controversy by stating the coronavirus could be a divine punishment on Western nations for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe.

Access to the islands, already heavily restricted due to the presence of a military base on Diego Garcia, have been further curtailed, with licenses for visiting vessels suspended.