The COVID-19 pandemic in Niger is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached Niger in March 2020. Amnesty International reported that journalists have been arrested over reporting about the pandemic.^[2]

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.^[3][4]

The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,^[5][6] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.^[7][5]

Timeline

March 2020

• On 19 March, the first case in the country was confirmed in Niamey, being a 36-year-old man from Nigeria. He had travelled to Lomé, Accra, Abidjan, and Ouagadougou.^[8]
• Following this announcement, the airports in Niamey and Zinder were closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.^[8]
• A third case was confirmed to be a Brazilian woman who entered the country on 16 March.^[9]
• Niger reported a total of seven cases on March 25, including the first death related to COVID-19 in the country on 24 March. The death occurred in Niamey, being a 63-year-old Nigerian national.^[10]
• There were 34 confirmed cases and 3 deaths in March, leaving 31 active cases at the end of the month.^[11]

April to December 2020

• On 5 May 2020, Nigerien public television station Télé Sahel announced that Nigerien Labor Minister Mohamed Ben Omar had died from COVID-19.^[12]
• There were 685 new cases in April,^[13] 239 in May,^[14] 117 in June,^[15] 61 in July,^[16] 40 in August,^[17] 20 in September,^[18] 24 in October,^[19] 328 in November,^[20] and 1720 in December.^[21] The total number of cases stood at 719 in April,^[13] 958 in May,^[14] 1075 in June,^[15] 1136 in July,^[16] 1176 in August,^[17] 1196 in September,^[18] 1220 in October,^[19] 1548 in November,^[20] and 3268 in December.^[21]
• There were 452 recoveries in April, leaving 235 active cases at the end of the month.^[13] The number of recovered patients rose to 839 in May,^[14] 943 in June,^[15] 1028 in July,^[16] 1107 in September,^[18] 1137 in October,^[19] 1210 in November,^[20] and 1802 in December,^[21] leaving 235 active cases at the end of April,^[13] 55 at the end of May,^[14] 65 at the end of June,^[15] 39 at the end of July,^[16] 19 at the end of August,^[17] 20 at the end of September,^[18] 14 at the end of October,^[19] 266 at the end of November,^[20] and 1362 at the end of December.^[21]
• The death toll increased by 29 to 32 in April,^[13] doubled to 64 in May,^[14] rose to 67 in June,^[15] 69 in July,^[16] 72 in November,^[20] and 104 in December.^[21]
• Issaka Assane Karanta, 75, Governor of Niamey Capital District (since 2018), died of COVID-19 on 24 December.^[22]

January to December 2021

• Niger's vaccination campaign began on 29 March.
• There were 1,249 new cases in January,^[23] 233 in February,^[24] 281 in March,^[25] 205 in April,^[26] 184 in May,^[27] 78 in June,^[28] 149 in July,^[29] 212 in August, 159 in September,^[30] 368 in October,^[31] 631 in November,^[32] and 398 in December.^[33] The total number of cases stood at 4,517 in January,^[23] 4,740 in February,^[24] 5,021 in March,^[25] 5,226 in April,^[26] 5,410 in May,^[27] 5,488 in June,^[28] 5,637 in July,^[29] 5,849 in August, 6,008 in September,^[30] 6,376 in October,^[31] 7,007 in November,^[32] and 7,405 in December.^[33]
• The number of recovered patients stood at 3,755 in January,^[23] 4,250 in February,^[24] 4,641 in March,^[25] 4,851 in April,^[26] 5,083 in May,^[27] 5,206 in June,^[28] 5,345 in July,^[29] 5,538 in August, 5,754 in September,^[30] 6,006 in October,^[31] 6,613 in November,^[32] and 6,926 in December,^[33] leaving 603 active cases at the end of January,^[23] 318 at the end of February,^[24] 193 at the end of March,^[25] 184 at the end of April,^[26] 135 at the end of May,^[27] 89 at the end of June,^[28] 97 at the end of July,^[29] 112 at the end of August, 53 at the end of September,^[30] 157 at the end of October,^[31] 135 at the end of November,^[32] and 204 at the end of December.^[33]
• The death toll rose to 159 in January,^[23] 172 in February,^[24] 187 in March,^[25] 191 in April,^[26] 192 in May,^[27] 193 in June,^[28] 195 in July,^[29] 199 in August, 201 in September,^[30] 213 in October,^[31] 259 in November,^[32] and 275 in December.^[33]
• Modeling carried out by the WHO's Regional Office for Africa suggests that due to under-reporting, the true cumulative number of infections by the end of 2021 was around 10.9 million while the true number of COVID-19 deaths was around 14,200.^[34]

January to December 2022

• There were 1,244 new cases in January,^[35] 105 in February,^[36] 56 in March, 133 in April,^[37] 103 in May,^[38] 41 in June,^[39] 28 in July,^[40] 216 in August, 74 in September, 23 in October, 6 in November and 72 in December.^[41] The total number of cases stood at 8,649 in January,^[35] 8,754 in February,^[36] 8,810 in March, 8,943 in April,^[37] 9,046 in May,^[38] 9,087 in June,^[39] 9,115 in July,^[40] 9,331 in August, 9,405 in September, 9,428 in October, 9,434 in November and 9,506 in December.^[41]
• The number of recovered patients increased to 7,947 in January,^[35] 8,432 in February,^[36] 8,484 in March, 8,524 in April,^[37] 8,712 in May,^[38] 8,759 in June,^[39] 8,779 in July,^[40] and 8,967 in December,^[41] leaving 404 active cases at the end of January,^[35] 15 at the end of February,^[36] 18 at the end of March, 110 at the end of April,^[37] 24 at the end of May,^[38] 17 at the end of June,^[39] 25 at the end of July,^[40] and 224 at the end of December.^[41]
• The death toll rose to 298 in January,^[35] 307 in February,^[36] 308 in March, 309 in April,^[37] 310 in May,^[38] 311 in June,^[39] 312 in August, 313 in September, 314 in October and 315 in December.^[41]

2023

• There were 425 confirmed cases in 2023, bringing the total number of cases to 9,931. The death toll remained unchanged.

Statistics

Confirmed new cases per day

Confirmed deaths per day