Authorities in DR Congo declare 4th wave of COVID-19

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - The Democratic Republic of Congo has entered the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s health minister said Monday.

Due to epidemiological reports that attest to an “exceptional increase” in the circulation of the virus, the country is again facing a new wave of the pandemic, said a statement issued by Jean-Jacques Bungani Mbanda.

Official data show that the country has recorded 723 new infections within a span of 24 hours, a significant increase in the infection rate compared to October, when the number of positive cases was less than 50 per day.

“The scientific data confirm the circulation of the omicron variant on our territory,” the statement added.

The capital Kinshasa is the epicenter of the disease.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Democratic Republic Congo has reported 54,009 confirmed cases to date, including 1,053 fatalities.

Since the rollout of vaccinations in the country on April 19, 2021, only 0.1% of the population has been vaccinated, according to figures from the Health Ministry.

Only 177,313 people have received the first dose of a vaccine while 60,099 are fully vaccinated.