There are growing concerns about the long-term spread of coronavirus infection in Africa. The number of confirmed cases on the continent has topped 1 million. Japan has been helping Africa deal with the pandemic.

The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research is located in Ghana. The Institute was founded more than four decades ago with Japanese aid.

Researchers at the facility have been using four PCR testing machines. They have tested over 300,000 samples since March. The Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA, is one of the entities supporting the institute.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, automated hand-washing machines have been set up at supermarkets and in public areas.
Vocational school teachers made the machines after learning how from Japanese engineers.

The units can also automatically measure body temperature without contact.

In Africa, infections of the coronavirus are spreading amid countries that have resumed economic activities. World Health Organization officials are calling for stronger measures.