Although the coronavirus outbreak is developing in Africa, the numbers affected by the crisis remain relatively small within the overall global picture. The latest data indicates that more than 36,000 people have tested positive, 1,589 have died due to the infection and around 12,000 have recovered. The experts wonder how a virus that has shaken the whole world has virtually bypassed such a fragile environment as Africa. While some say it is a miracle, others understand that it may be a result of an underreporting of the true statistics. However, at the very least it is obvious that Africa has had time to avert a lamentable impact by slowing down the spread of the virus involving tracking its spread and testing people.
COVID-19 attacked the African continent later than countries with a significantly smaller number of cases. One of the reasons that could explain the figures is the weak connection of Africa with the rest of the world. Africa accounts for approximately 5% of global tourism flow and it would appear that less intense air traffic has saved it them from the virus spread. Previous outbreaks such as Ebola have taught Africa how to manage an inevitable crisis by implementing proper measures despite the continent’s unstable shaky health care system. Africa’s population is the world’s youngest with 60 percent aged below 24. Although young people are less vulnerable to the virus, other diseases such as diabetes, tuberculosis and HIV on a large scale could mitigate this advantage.
In a single week, Africa registered a jump in 43% of the number of infected people. Such an escalation puts pressure on its precarious healthcare systems and their ability to face an outbreak. The World Health Organization has warned that the next epicenter of the pandemic will kill about 300,000 people.
One of the continent’s countries most affected by COVID is South Africa with almost 5,000 positive cases. Here, the government has led a coronavirus response based on mass testing of the population and according to its health minister, more than 140,000 tests have been performed. The same source states that in the next four weeks 1 million more tests will be conducted by the Africa Centers for Disease Control. Other countries with similar outcomes are Egypt – 5042 cases, Morocco – 4289 and Algeria with more than 3,000 confirmed cases. Nigeria, a country with a high population density, has only succeeded in performing 12,004 tests, 1,337 of which were positive and 28 people have died.
A poor health infrastructure like that which exists in most African countries will come under more and more pressure as COVID-19 spreads. With only 500, Nigeria lacks sufficient ventilators for coronavirus patients whereas South Africa has no more than 80 and there are only three in the Central African Republic. Despite these alarming realities, Africa has experience in dealing with outbreaks like Ebola and managing large-scale health crises. The authorities implemented a set of measures before the crisis became critical as happened in many of the world’s countries. The borders were closed, schools were shut down and people were forced to respect containment restrictions.
Living through the lockdown without any alternative replacement income will not achieve desirable results for the foreseeable future. It will leave people without the financial resources to cover their needs during the pandemic. According to World Employment and Social Outlook, an estimated 86% of Africa’s population depends on the informal economy and an extension of the coronavirus prevention measures could push about 30,000 Africans into desperate poverty. It is important to set an effective response in order to keep people from going hungry and to ensure economic activity by taking into consideration social distancing and all the recommendations it implies. In the same vein, it would be appropriate to focus attention on the cramped conditions many Africans face and the lack of access to a proper water supply a third of the population experiences. As a result of the brutal lockdown in many countries, African intellectuals have asked their leaders to view this crisis as a chance to join efforts in rethinking the state of their continent and ensuring the well-being of its people.
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