COVID-19 pandemic in Burkina Faso

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Burkina Faso on 9 March 2020. The death of Rose Marie Compaoré, a member of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso, on 18 March marked the first recorded COVID-19 fatality in Sub-Saharan Africa.[2][3]

COVID-19 pandemic in Burkina Faso
Provinces with 300 to 2999 cases      Provinces with 30 to 299 cases      Provinces with 3 to 29 cases      Provinces with 1 or 2 cases
Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	SARS-CoV-2
Location	Burkina Faso
First outbreak	Wuhan, China
Index case	Ouagadougou
Arrival date	9 March 2020 (5 months, 1 week and 1 day)
Confirmed cases	1,267 (as of 16 August)[1]
Active cases	199 (as of 16 August)
Recovered	1,013 (as of 16 August)
Deaths	55 (as of 16 August)
Government website
https://www.sante.gov.bf/

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[4][5] The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[6][7] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[8][6] Model-based simulations for Burkina Faso indicate that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number R_t has been below 1.0 and stable since April.[9]

Water shortages are a particular challenge in Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso's coronavirus curfew stopped those in poor areas from accessing communal fountains that only flow at night in the dry season.[10] A lack of water also makes washing hands and general hygiene difficult. In the past year, armed groups have devastated villages in the north and east of Burkina Faso, leaving more than 800,000 people displaced. They have fled to urban centers or sites designated for internally displaced people (IDPs), where overcrowding and lack of access to water are huge problems for families and host communities. Hygiene measures, such as frequent hand washing with soap and water, wearing a mask, and social distancing don't translate into reality for displaced people.[11]

Approximately 350,000 people in Burkina Faso urgently need access to sufficient water and shelter facilities to aid them in coping desert-like conditions faced in the isolated parts of Burkina Faso. The UN Refugee Agency warned of more lives to possibly fall at risk in the Burkina Faso Centre Nord and Sahel regions. These places have been pointed out as they shelter hundreds of people displaced from their homes, including small children.[12]

Timeline

COVID-19 cases in Burkina Faso  ()      Deaths        Recoveries        Active cases Mar Mar Apr Apr May May Jun Jun Aug Aug Last 15 days Last 15 days
Date			# of cases	# of deaths
2020-03-09		​	2(n.a.)
⋮		​	2(=)
2020-03-13		​	3(+50%)
2020-03-14		​	3(=)
2020-03-15		​	7(+133%)
2020-03-16		​	7(=)
2020-03-17		​	20(+186%)
2020-03-18		​ ​	27(+35%)	1(n.a.)
2020-03-19		​ ​	33(+22%)	1(=)
2020-03-20		​ ​	40(+21%)	1(=)
2020-03-21		​ ​ ​	64(+60%)	3(+200%)
2020-03-22		​ ​ ​	75(+17%)	5(+67%)
2020-03-23		​ ​ ​	100(+33%)	5(=)
2020-03-24		​ ​ ​	114(+14%)	5(=)
2020-03-25		​ ​ ​	146(+28%)	5(=)
2020-03-26		​ ​ ​	152(+4.1%)	5(=)
2020-03-27		​ ​ ​	180(+18%)	9(+80%)
2020-03-28		​ ​ ​	207(+15%)	11(+22%)
2020-03-29		​ ​ ​	222(+7.2%)	12(+9.1%)
2020-03-30		​ ​ ​	246(+11%)	12(=)
2020-03-31		​ ​ ​	261(+6.1%)	14(+17%)
2020-04-01		​ ​ ​	261(=)	14(=)
2020-04-02		​ ​ ​	288(+10%)	16(+14%)
2020-04-03		​ ​ ​	302(+4.9%)	16(=)
2020-04-04		​ ​ ​	318(+5.3%)	16(=)
2020-04-05		​ ​ ​	345(+8.5%)	17(+6.2%)
2020-04-06		​ ​ ​	364(+5.5%)	18(+5.9%)
2020-04-07		​ ​ ​	384(+5.5%)	19(+5.6%)
2020-04-08		​ ​ ​	414(+7.8%)	23(+21%)
2020-04-09		​ ​ ​	443(+7%)	24(+4.3%)
2020-04-10		​ ​ ​	448(+1.1%)	26(+8.3%)
2020-04-11		​ ​ ​	484(+8%)	27(+3.8%)
2020-04-12		​ ​ ​	497(+2.7%)	27(=)
2020-04-12		​ ​ ​	497(=)	27(=)
2020-04-13		​ ​ ​	515(+3.6%)	27(=)
2020-04-14		​ ​ ​	528(+2.5%)	30(+11%)
2020-04-15		​ ​ ​	542(+2.7%)	32(+6.7%)
2020-04-16		​ ​ ​	546(+0.74%)	32(=)
2020-04-17		​ ​ ​	557(+2%)	35(+9.4%)
2020-04-18		​ ​ ​	565(+1.4%)	36(+2.9%)
2020-04-19		​ ​ ​	576(+1.9%)	36(=)
2020-04-20		​ ​ ​	581(+0.87%)	38(+5.6%)
2020-04-21		​ ​ ​	600(+3.3%)	38(=)
2020-04-22		​ ​ ​	609(+1.5%)	39(+2.6%)
2020-04-23		​ ​ ​	616(+1.1%)	41(+5.1%)
2020-04-24		​ ​ ​	629(+2.1%)	41(=)
2020-04-25		​ ​ ​	629(=)	41(=)
2020-04-26		​ ​ ​	632(+0.48%)	42(+2.4%)
2020-04-27		​ ​ ​	635(+0.47%)	42(=)
2020-04-28		​ ​ ​	638(+0.47%)	42(=)
2020-04-29		​ ​ ​	641(+0.47%)	43(+2.4%)
2020-04-30		​ ​ ​	645(+0.62%)	43(=)
2020-05-01		​ ​ ​	649(+0.62%)	44(+2.3%)
2020-05-02		​ ​ ​	652(+0.46%)	44(=)
2020-05-03		​ ​ ​	662(+1.5%)	45(+2.3%)
2020-05-04		​ ​ ​	672(+1.5%)	46(+2.2%)
2020-05-05		​ ​ ​	688(+2.4%)	48(+4.3%)
2020-05-06		​ ​ ​	729(+6%)	48(=)
2020-05-07		​ ​ ​	736(+0.96%)	48(=)
2020-05-08		​ ​ ​	744(+1.1%)	48(=)
2020-05-09		​ ​ ​	748(+0.54%)	48(=)
2020-05-10		​ ​ ​	751(+0.4%)	49(+2.1%)
2020-05-11		​ ​ ​	760(+1.2%)	50(+2%)
2020-05-12		​ ​ ​	766(+0.79%)	51(+2%)
2020-05-13		​ ​ ​	773(+0.91%)	51(=)
2020-05-14		​ ​ ​	773(=)	51(=)
2020-05-15		​ ​ ​	780(+0.91%)	51(=)
2020-05-16		​ ​ ​	782(+0.26%)	51(=)
2020-05-17		​ ​ ​	796(+1.8%)	51(=)
2020-05-18		​ ​ ​	796(=)	51(=)
2020-05-19		​ ​ ​	796(=)	51(=)
2020-05-20		​ ​ ​	809(+1.6%)	52(+2%)
2020-05-21		​ ​ ​	812(+0.37%)	52(=)
2020-05-22		​ ​ ​	814(+0.25%)	52(=)
2020-05-23		​ ​ ​	814(=)	52(=)
2020-05-24		​ ​ ​	814(=)	52(=)
2020-05-25		​ ​ ​	832(+2.2%)	52(=)
2020-05-26		​ ​ ​	832(=)	52(=)
2020-05-27		​ ​ ​	845(+1.6%)	53(+1.9%)
2020-05-28		​ ​ ​	847(+0.24%)	53(=)
2020-05-29		​ ​ ​	847(=)	53(=)
2020-05-30		​ ​ ​	847(=)	53(=)
2020-05-31		​ ​ ​	847(=)	53(=)
2020-06-01		​ ​ ​	847(=)	53(=)
2020-06-02		​ ​ ​	881(+4%)	53(=)
2020-06-03		​ ​ ​	884(+0.34%)	53(=)
2020-06-04		​ ​ ​	885(+0.11%)	53(=)
2020-06-05		​ ​ ​	888(+0.34%)	53(=)
2020-06-06		​ ​ ​	888(=)	53(=)
2020-06-07		​ ​ ​	889(+0.11%)	53(=)
2020-06-08		​ ​ ​	890(+0.11%)	53(=)
2020-06-09		​ ​ ​	891(+0.11%)	53(=)
2020-06-10		​ ​ ​	891(=)	53(=)
2020-06-11		​ ​ ​	892(+0.11%)	53(=)
2020-06-12		​ ​ ​	892(=)	53(=)
2020-06-13		​ ​ ​	892(=)	53(=)
2020-06-14		​ ​ ​	894(+0.22%)	53(=)
2020-06-15		​ ​ ​	894(=)	53(=)
2020-06-16		​ ​ ​	895(+0.11%)	53(=)
2020-06-17		​ ​ ​	899(+0.45%)	53(=)
2020-06-18		​ ​ ​	899(=)	53(=)
2020-06-19		​ ​ ​	900(+0.11%)	53(=)
2020-06-20		​ ​ ​	901(+0.11%)	53(=)
2020-06-21		​ ​ ​	903(+0.22%)	53(=)
2020-06-22		​ ​ ​	903(=)	53(=)
2020-06-23		​ ​ ​	907(+0.44%)	53(=)
2020-06-24		​ ​ ​	919(+1.3%)	53(=)
2020-06-25		​ ​ ​	934(+1.6%)	53(=)
2020-08-09		​ ​ ​	1,175(+26%)	54(+1.9%)
Sources: [13][14][15][16][17]

March 2020

On 9 March 2020, the first two cases in the country were reported in Burkina Faso.[18]

On 13 March, the third case was also confirmed: a person who had had direct contact with the first two cases.[19]

On 14 March, 7 cases confirmed in the country. Five of the new confirmed cases had had direct contact with the first two cases. One is an English national currently working in a gold mine in Burkina Faso and who went to vacation in Liverpool, returning on 10 March, with transits through Vancouver and Paris.[20]

On 15 March, 8 new cases were confirmed according to a statement from the Ministry of Health, bringing the total number of cases to 15.[21]

On 17 March, 20 total cases were confirmed.[22]

On 18 March, the first fatality was confirmed, Rose Marie Compaoré, a 61-year-old woman with a preexisting diabetic condition.[23]

On 18 March, 27 total cases were confirmed.[24]

On 19 March, 33 total cases were confirmed by the Burkina Faso Ministry of Health.[25]

On 20 March, 40 total cases were confirmed. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore closed airports, land borders and imposed a nationwide curfew to curb the spread of the pandemic.[26] Burkina Faso's Education Minister said he had tested positive for the coronavirus.[27]

On 21 March, 64 total cases and 3 deaths were confirmed. Minister of Mines and Quarries, Oumarou Idani, tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a conference in Toronto, Canada.

On 22 March, 75 total confirmed cases. Four key government ministers are confirmed to be infected,[28] these ministers are: Alpha Barry, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Oumarou Idani, Minister of Mines and Quarries; Stanislas Ouaro, Minister of Education; and Simeon Sawadogo, Minister of Interior.[29] Five cases, including the original couple, have recovered.[30] The U.S. Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Andrew Robert Young, tested positive. Five deaths have been confirmed.[31]

On 23 March, the Burkina Faso Ministry of Health confirmed 100 cases of COVID-19 in Burkina Faso. The U.S. Embassy has begun to repatriate citizens to the United States.[32] Harouna Kaboré, the Minister of Trade, tested positive for coronavirus.[33][34]

On March 24, the Burkina Faso Ministry of Health confirmed 114 cases of COVID-19 in Burkina Faso, 89 in Ouagadougou, 4 in Bobo-Dioulasso, 2 in Dedougou, 2 in Boromo, and 1 in Houndé.[35]

On March 30, with 12 deaths, Burkina Faso has the most fatalities in sub-Saharan Africa. Burkina Faso has just one hospital currently configured to receive coronavirus patients, and it only has a handful of ventilators. At least six government ministers have since tested positive for the virus, as have two foreign ambassadors, from Italy and the United States. A single testing laboratory in Bobo-Dioulasso – a five-hour drive from the capital of Ouagdougou – means suspected cases all over the country have to wait at least 12 hours for results. The government said it wants to establish a second laboratory in Ouagadougou but has no one qualified to set up the equipment in the country. With borders sealed, the process of bringing in an outsider is being delayed.[36]

By the end March there had been 261 positive tests, 14 deaths and 32 recovered patients. There were 215 active cases at the end of the month.[37]

April 2020

There were 384 new cases in April, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 645. The death toll rose by 29 to 43. The number of recovered patients increased to 506, leaving 96 active cases at the end of the month (55% fewer than at the end of March).[38]

May 2020

In May there were 202 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 847. The death toll rose by 10 to 53. The number of recovered patients increased by 214 to 720, leaving 74 active cases at the end of the month (a decrease by 23% from the end of April).[39]

June 2020

During June there were 115 new cases, bringing the total number of cases to 962. There were no new deaths. The number of recovered patients grew by 118 to 838, leaving 71 active cases at the end of the month (a decrease by 4% from the end of May).[40]

July 2020

During July there were 176 new cases, bringing the total number of cases to 1138. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients by 129 to 967, leaving 118 active cases at the end of the month (an increase by 66% from the end of June).[41]

See also

• COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
• COVID-19 pandemic by country and territory
• COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
• 2020 in West Africa

References

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3. "Burkina Faso reports Sub-Saharan Africa's first coronavirus death as WHO warns 'prepare for worst'". France 24. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
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9. Future scenarios of the healthcare burden of COVID-19 in low- or middle-income countries, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London.
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17. "COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic". worldometers.info. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
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19. "Coronavirus: un troisième cas confirmé au Burkina Faso". VOA (in French). Retrieved 15 March 2020.
20. B24, Rédaction (14 March 2020). "Coronavirus (COVID-19) : 7 cas confirmés au Burkina". L'Actualité du Burkina Faso 24h/24 (in French). Retrieved 14 March 2020.
21. "Coronavirus au Burkina : Le compteur passe à 15 cas confirmés - leFaso.net, l'actualité au Burkina Faso". lefaso.net (in French). Retrieved 16 March 2020.
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23. "Burkina Faso's records first COVID-19 death in sub-Saharan Africa". Africanews. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
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25. "COVID-19 Information". U.S. Embassy in Burkina Faso. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
26. "Burkina Faso Mines Minister Tests Positive for Coronavirus". Bloomberg.com. 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
27. "Burkina Faso minister tests positive for coronavirus". aa.com.tr. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
28. Asiedu, Kwasi Gyamfi. "Four government ministers have contracted coronavirus in Burkina Faso and it's spreading rapidly". Quartz Africa. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
29. "Four Burkina Faso ministers have coronavirus as cases rise to 64". Reuters. 22 March 2020.
30. "Four ministers infected as Burkina Faso reports new virus deaths". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
31. "US envoy to Burkina Faso tests positive for COVID-19". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
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33. "COVID-19 : Le ministre du commerce, Harouna Kaboré, testé positif" (in French). lefaso.net. 23 March 2020.
34. "Coronavirus: 5th minister, US ambassador Andrew Young test positive". P.M. News. 24 March 2020.
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38. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 102" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 May 2020. p. 5. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
39. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 131" (PDF). World Health Organization. 30 May 2020. p. 5. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
40. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 163" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 July 2020. p. 7. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
41. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 194" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 August 2020. p. 5. Retrieved 2 August 2020.

External links

• Burkina Faso: Escalating Conflict Is Fueling a Humanitarian Crisis in Eastern Burkina Faso