The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday called for efforts to provide better care and support to elderly people across Africa amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Senior citizens in the region require more support and occasional calls to inquire about their needs, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said in a message on the International Day of Older Persons, marked annually on Oct. 1.

Moeti said restrictions on movement and gatherings, and the increased social isolation due to COVID-19 have placed a greater burden on the lives of older people.

"We can contribute to addressing this by picking up the phone to call our senior relatives and offering to assist older people in our communities or keep them company," Moeti advised.

She said the key challenges to elderly people's care in Africa were a lack of comprehensive long-term care systems, low coverage of social protection schemes and inadequate data to shape policy interventions.

The WHO official stressed that there is a growing need to address these issues, as the number of elderly people in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to reach 67 million by 2025 and 163 million by 2050.

With a population of more than 1.2 billion people, only 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Africa so far, five times fewer than in the U.S. About 35,000 people have died from the disease on the continent.