ADDIS ABABA: Strict Covid-19 prevention methods enrolled at the ongoing African Union (AU) summit, which is taking place for the first time physically since the outbreak, have proven to be a game changer in Africa's fight against the infection, according to John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
On Sunday, the Director said that critics were calling the summit "a transmission event or a super spreader event," referring to the fact that it was physically convened after a pause in 2021 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
"We stood firm and stated that we needed to know the infection kinetics during the summit. It when we declared ourselves and stated that the summit would be free of Covid-19, we did so on the basis of science "On the sidelines of the conference, Nkengasong addressed the media.
Participants must take an antigen test before entering the AU headquarters compound in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as part of the strict Covid-19 preventive methods enlisted at the summit.
The Africa CDC managed to conduct more than 5,400 Covid-19 tests using temporary testing labs erected inside the AU premises over the first three days of the event, which included meetings of the AU Executive Council and AU Assembly, according to reports.
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