COVID-19 pandemic

=== Africa ===
{{Main|COVID-19 pandemic in Africa}}
[[File:Air Forces Africa delivers medical supplies to Ghana (49829156488).jpg|thumb|[[United States Air Force|US Air Force]] personnel unload a [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III|C-17]] aircraft carrying medical supplies in [[Niamey]], Niger, in April 2020.]]
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Africa on 14 February 2020, with the first confirmed case announced in [[COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt|Egypt]].<ref name="bbc_51509248">{{#invoke:cite news ||title=Beijing orders 14-day quarantine for all returnees |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51509248 |access-date=24 March 2020 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=15 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214210032/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51509248 |archive-date=14 February 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite news ||title=Egypt announces first Coronavirus infection |url=https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/81641/Egypt-announces-first-Coronavirus-infection |access-date=24 March 2020 |work=EgyptToday |date=14 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215092410/https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/81641/Egypt-announces-first-Coronavirus-infection |archive-date=15 February 2020}}</ref> The first confirmed case in [[sub-Saharan Africa]] was announced in [[COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria|Nigeria]] at the end of February 2020.<ref name="bbc_51671834">{{#invoke:cite news ||title=Nigeria confirms first coronavirus case |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51671834 |access-date=24 March 2020 |work=BBC News |date=28 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302181240/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51671834 |archive-date=2 March 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> Within three months, the virus had spread throughout the continent; [[COVID-19 pandemic in Lesotho|Lesotho]], the last African sovereign state to have remained free of the virus, reported its first case on 13 May 2020.<ref name=reuters_idUSKBN22P1R4>{{#invoke:cite news||date=13 May 2020|title=Remote Lesotho becomes last country in Africa to record COVID-19 case|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-lesotho-idUSKBN22P1R4|url-status=live|access-date=13 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514053312/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-lesotho-idUSKBN22P1R4|archive-date=14 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="latimes.com">{{#invoke:cite web||title=Coronavirus live updates: Lesotho becomes last African nation to report a coronavirus case|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/liveblog/coronavirus-live-updates-wednesday-may-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513141447/https://www.latimes.com/california/liveblog/coronavirus-live-updates-wednesday-may-13|archive-date=13 May 2020|access-date=13 May 2020|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> By 26 May, it appeared that most African countries were experiencing community transmission, although testing capacity was limited.<ref name=theguardian_20200526_africa>{{#invoke:cite web|| vauthors = Akinwotu E |date=26 May 2020|title=Experts sound alarm over lack of Covid-19 test kits in Africa|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/26/africa-concerned-over-lack-of-coronavirus-testing-kits|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529155322/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/26/africa-concerned-over-lack-of-coronavirus-testing-kits|archive-date=29 May 2020|access-date=29 May 2020|website=The Guardian}}</ref> Most of the identified imported cases arrived from Europe and the United States rather than from China where the virus originated.<ref name="Africa Braces">{{#invoke:cite news ||last1=Maclean |first1=Ruth |title=Africa Braces for Coronavirus, but Slowly |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/world/africa/coronavirus-africa-burkina-faso.html |access-date=25 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=17 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325014602/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/world/africa/coronavirus-africa-burkina-faso.html |archive-date=25 March 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> Many preventive measures [[National responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa|were implemented]] by different countries in Africa including travel restrictions, flight cancellations, and event cancellations.<ref>{{#invoke:cite web ||last1=Adebayo |first1=Bukola |last2=Busari |first2=Stephanie |title=Here are the African countries with confirmed coronavirus cases |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/09/africa/nigeria-coronavirus-cases-intl/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=2 June 2023 |date=9 March 2020}}</ref> Despite fears, Africa reported lower death rates than other, more economically developed regions.<ref name="NYT Africa deaths">{{#invoke:cite news ||last1=Nolen |first1=Stephanie |title=Trying to Solve a Covid Mystery: Africa's Low Death Rates |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/health/covid-africa-deaths.html |access-date=13 June 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=23 March 2022}}</ref>

In early June 2021, Africa faced a third wave of COVID infections with cases rising in 14 countries.<ref name=theguardian_20210607_third>{{#invoke:cite news ||last1=Burke |first1=Jason |last2=correspondent |first2=Jason Burke Africa |title=Third wave sweeps across Africa as Covid vaccine imports dry up |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/07/third-wave-sweeps-across-africa-as-covid-vaccine-imports-dry-up |access-date=2 June 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=7 June 2021}}</ref> By 4 July the continent recorded more than 251,000 new COVID cases, a 20% increase from the prior week and a 12% increase from the January peak. More than sixteen African countries, including [[COVID-19 pandemic in Malawi|Malawi]] and [[COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal|Senegal]], recorded an uptick in new cases.<ref name="Mendez">{{#invoke:cite web || vauthors = Mendez R |date=8 July 2021 |title=Africa suffers worst surge in Covid cases as delta variant spurs third wave of pandemic |url= https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/08/delta-variant-africa-suffers-worst-surge-in-covid-cases-officials-brace-for-third-wave.html |access-date=9 July 2021|website=CNBC}}</ref> The World Health Organization labelled it Africa's 'Worst Pandemic Week Ever'.<ref>{{#invoke:cite news|| vauthors = Dahir AL |date=8 July 2021|title=Africa marks its 'worst pandemic week' yet, with cases surging and vaccine scarce, the W.H.O. says.|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/world/africa-coronavirus-cases-who.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/world/africa-coronavirus-cases-who.html |archive-date=28 December 2021 |url-access=limited|access-date=9 July 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In October 2022, WHO reported that most countries on the African continent will miss the goal of 70 percent vaccination by the end of 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:cite news ||last1=Schlein |first1=Lisa |title=Africa Lags Behind Rest of World in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/africa-lags-behind-rest-of-world-in-covid-19-vaccination-coverage/6798185.html |access-date=2 June 2023 |work=VOA |date=20 October 2022 }}</ref>