Regional Highlights

• West and Central Africa region records a steady decrease of cases over the last two weeks. The total number of COVID-19 cases has reached over 294,000 in all 23 countries in the region. By 22 December,  4,177 deaths had been recorded. The five countries with highest confirmed caseloads are: Nigeria (78,790), Ghana (53,954), Cameroon (25,849), Côte d'Ivoire (21,932) and Senegal (17,879).
• Health worker infections continue to increase gradually with more than 8,500 infections reported in 22 WCA countries by mid-December. Nigeria remains the most affected, followed by Ghana, Cameroon, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Senegal and  Guinea-Bissau. 
• UNFPA is leading life-saving sexual and reproductive health services through the Minimum Initial Service Package for reproductive health in emergencies. 
• 111,964 women and youth accessed integrated SRH services in UNFPA-supported facilities in Liberia (62,800), Senegal (42,832), Sierra Leone (3,189), Guinea-Bissau (2,002), and Benin (1,141).
• At least 16,458 safe deliveries were facilitated in UNFPA-supported facilities in Benin (3,647), Guinea-Bissau (114), Senegal (7,779), Sierra Leone (2,330) and Togo (2,588).
• Some 2,960 contact-tracers were trained and deployed with UNFPA support in Burkina Faso (700), Cabo Verde (60), Liberia (447), Niger (92), Senegal (1,661).
• 2,712 contacts were traced with UNFPA support in Chad (50), Gambia (789) and Liberia (1873).
• 2,254 women and girls subjected to violence, including those with disabilities, have accessed essential services (health, social, police and justice) in Burkina Faso (117), Cabo Verde (58), Cameroon (217), Chad (1326), Congo (103) and Togo (433).