Africa Vs COVID-19

 

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a communicable respiratory disease caused by a new strain of virus that causes illness in humans.

Scientists are still learning about the disease, and thinks that the virus began in animals; at some point, one or more human acquired infection from an animal, and those infected humans began transmitting infection to other humans.

The disease spreads from person to person through infected air droplets that are projected during sneezing or coughing, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose.  It can also be transmitted when humans have contact with hands and surface that contain the virus and touch their eyes, nose, or mouth with the contaminated hands.

The outbreak of the new coronavirus has reached every nation in Africa, a continent of 1.3 billion people. 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Africa on 14 February, 2020. The first confirmed case was in Egypt, and the first confirmed case in sub-Saharan Africa was in Nigeria. Most of the identified imported cases have arrived from Europe and the United States rather than directly from China where hence the virus originated. 

On 13 May, 2020, Lesotho became the last African sovereign state to report a case of COVID-19; there are no reported cases in British Indian Ocean Territory, French Southern Territories and Saint Helena.

By 26 May, more than half of all African countries were experiencing community transmission, although testing capacity remains limited.

It is believed that there is widespread under-reporting in many African countries with less developed healthcare systems. Experts have worried about COVID-19 spreading to Africa, because many of the healthcare systems on the continent are inadequate, having problems such as lack of equipment, lack of funding, insufficient training of healthcare workers, and inefficient data transmission. 

It was feared that the pandemic could be difficult to keep under control in Africa, and could cause huge economic problems if it spreads widely.  As of April 18, 2020, the supply of ventilators is low in much of Africa: 41 countries have only 2,000 ventilators between them, and ten countries have no ventilators at all. Even basic supplies like soap and water are subject to shortages in parts of the continent.

As of June 5, the confirmed coronavirus death toll on the continent stood at 4,700, with fatalities including the former President of the Republic of the Congo Jacques Joachim Yhombi-Opango and Somalia's former Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein.

There are 170,663 confirmed infections and 93,812 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins and the World Health Organisation.

Experts warn fragile healthcare systems in many African countries could be overwhelmed in the face of a severe outbreak of COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.

 

 

Many preventive measures have been implemented in different countries in Africa, including travel restrictions, flight cancellations, event cancellations, school closures, and border closures. Experts say that experience battling Ebola helped some countries prepare for COVID-19.

Most African countries have moved rapidly to deepen regional coordination, deploy health workers and enforce quarantines, lockdowns and border closures. 

Several African countries are beginning to lift the partial lockdown imposed to stem the spread of coronavirus. This they are doing, to avoid economic hardship as a result of the continuous lockdown. But the ban on gatherings is still in place.

While educational facilities remain closed in most African countries, businesses have been allowed to operate conditionally.

In a national broadcast, President Buhari of Nigeria said he reviewed the lockdown to allow the nation's economy to function while the government maintains an aggressive response toward containing the virus.

In Ghana, another West African country, President Nana Akufo-Addo  emphasized that “lifting these restrictions does not mean we are letting our guard down […] I am demanding even greater adherence to these measures."

While a nationwide lockdown is probably the most effective means to contain the spread of coronavirus that has killed 131 people in the country, it cannot be sustained indefinitely, according to South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa said his government took the decision to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions in a bid to revive the country's economy.

In Cameroon, the prime minister said in a communiqué that the Central African country, which has over 2,000 coronavirus cases has suffered economically since the imposed lockdown in March.

''These measures have created economic and social distortions whose effects are being felt in several areas,'' John Ngute said.

Also in Malawi, Malawian High Court barred the government from imposing a coronavirus lockdown which was announced by President Peter Mutharika in mid-April. 

WHO has issued interim guidance to Member States, which encourage a gradual adjustment of public health and social measures, while constantly assessing risks. 

Beginning with the re-opening of international airports, with a mandatory 14-day quarantine of all travelers, the guidelines progress through a series of steps for countries to take to regain some normalcy. As countries open up, good hand hygiene, coughing and sneezing etiquette, physical distancing and the use of masks will remain part of the new normal.

 The steps will need to be constantly adapted according to the trends in the data and maintained until the pandemic is contained or there is a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 which is accessible to everyone.

As countries ease restrictions, health authorities will need to ensure continuity of essential health care services while also resuming the full gamut of routine health services. This challenge will be compounded by ongoing global supply bottlenecks, shortages, and the necessity of repurposing staff for the COVID-19 response