South Africa and other hard-hit countries in Africa are going through a decline in daily infections despite earlier projections of the region potentially falling hard due to the novel coronavirus.
South Africa Positivity Rate Declines
South Africa remains the hardest-hit country in Africa, but the COVID-19 testing positivity rate has dropped to an average of 13 percent, compared with a peak of 27 percent in the third week of July.
Aside from the downtrend in the positivity rates in all nine provinces in the country, the average number of new coronavirus infections has also declined.
The chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Committee under the government task force against COVID-19, Salim Abdool Karim, said South Africa is "over the plateau."
As of Monday, South Africa had logged a total of 611,450 confirmed coronavirus cases and 13,159 deaths.
Winter Tent Deaths in Question
Despite the good news, eyes are on the deaths of some suspected coronavirus patients who passed away in open tents outside a South African hospital during mid-winter.
A whistleblower, who is also a doctor at Sebokeng Hospital, told BBC News in an exclusive investigation that "many" people who were left outside in open tents while waiting for treatment were suspected of dying from hypothermia.
The patients who died in tents were also suspected of having been infected with COVID-19, raising further concerns about the South African government's management of the crisis.
The doctor also revealed that at the hospital, "we don't have drugs. No ventilator equipment. There was PPE lying all over the place, waiting to infect more people."
There were also leaked messages indicating that medical experts across provincial health institutions stood up against the decision to use tents as temporary triage areas for suspected COVID-19 patients.
The government has since acknowledged widespread corruption even amid the pandemic.
Liquor Stores Still Open In Algeria Despite Closedown Order
In some towns across Algeria, there are still several liquor stores that continue to operate despite governors' orders to close down.
The order for closing down pubs and liquor stores came in March, but Algerian business owners have shown a willingness to take the risk of staying open.
Businesses that sell or serve alcohol that are caught violating the anti-coronavirus regulation will face heavy fines and licenses could be cancelled. However, some authorities appear to have made an agreement with select liquor shops.
As of Monday, Algeria had registered a total of 41,460 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,435 deaths.
Ethiopia Passes 42,000 Cases
The Ethiopian Health Ministry on Monday logged another 1,472 confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing the national infection toll to 42,143.
Over half of the country's cases are still active, but the number of recovered patients climbed to 15,262, following 267 new recoveries on Monday.
Last week, Ethiopia saw a significant spike in daily new infections. The peak reached 80 percent as the government launched more widespread testing across the country.
