In under-vaccinated Congo, fourth COVID-19 wave fills hospitals

At the St Joseph COVID Treatment Centre in Kinshasa, patients lie in ramshackle rooms breathing oxygen from old tanks. The clinic has 38 beds, and all but one are occupied. In a backyard littered with medical equipment, tents are needed to cope with the overflow. Democratic Republic of Congo is the least vaccinated country against COVID-19 in the world. Now a fourth wave of the coronavirus threatens to put greater pressure on its rickety health system than at any time during the pandemic. 'We have experienced the three previous waves gradually, but in the fourth wave cases have jumped overnight,' said Francois Kajingulu, the head of St Joseph. 'On Monday we had 5-6 cases and on Saturday we went straight from 30 to 36.'