Diabetes problem makes Africa more vulnerable to COVID-19 death, says WHO

Director-General of the Ghana Health Service Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye receives the COVID-19 vaccine at Ridge Hospital in Accra, Ghana. [Reuters]

Death rates from COVID-19 infections are much higher in patients with diabetes in Africa, where the number of people with diabetes is growing rapidly, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

A WHO analysis of data from 13 African countries found a 10.2% case fatality rate in COVID-19 patients with diabetes, compared with 2.5% for COVID-19 patients overall.