DRC sees surge in COVID-19 cases, official says

KAMPALA, Uganda

UN radio in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported Thursday that the COVID-19 situation in the country is worsening.

Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, the coordinator of the technical secretariat of the response team against COVID-19, announced that the situation is very explosive in the country, it said.

He said they have been recording at least 1,000 daily cases recently. During a press briefing, he confirmed the presence of the omicron variant in the country which he said merges with the seasonal flu and even affects children.

Before December, less than 200 cases were recorded in the country per day.

Muyembe Tamfum said, "the situation is very explosive in the DRC since the beginning of December."

He called on those who show flu symptoms to get tested quickly, saying: "There are more deaths in Kongo-Central and Kinshasha. There are also several contaminations in ministerial offices, in schools, and in public services.’’

He also called on the population to limit unnecessary traveling and also avoid fake COVID-19 test certificates.

According to the latest figures, 61,932 infections have been recorded in the country so far, with 1,118 deaths and 50,930 recoveries.