Africa COVID deaths surpass 100,000 amid second wave

South Africa, where a more contagious COVID-19 variant has been found, accounts for nearly half of continent’s deaths.

Africa’s reported COVID-19 death toll has surpassed 100,000, a fraction of those reported on other continents but rising fast as the second wave of infections overwhelms hospitals. The continent’s reported deaths, at 100,354 on Friday, are less than North America’s – at more than half a million – and Europe’s which is approaching 900,000, a Reuters tally shows. But deaths are rising sharply across Africa, driven by its southern region, especially in the economic powerhouse of South Africa, which accounts for nearly half of the total. South Africa was ravaged by a second wave caused by a more contagious variant that has jammed up casualty wards.