The United Kingdom has disclosed that travellers from countries on its green list will be exempted from quarantine and from certain testing requirements, provided they can prove their vaccination status and other requirements are met, including having booked a day two test, with effect from October 4, 2021.
COVID-19 Lab
It explained that from 4am on Monday October 4, the rules for international travel to England will change from the red, amber, green traffic light system to a single red list of countries and simplified travel measures for arrivals from the rest of the world.
According to a statement from the British High Commission on Sunday, all travellers who have been in a country or territory on the red list in the 10 days prior to travelling, will only be allowed to enter the UK if they are a British or Irish national or if they have residence rights in the UK. On arrival, they must quarantine in a managed hotel, and take two COVID-19 tests.
The statement said, “From 4 October, all travellers to England from the majority of countries that are currently on the amber list, including Nigeria, must: take a pre-departure COVID-19 test – to be taken in the three days before travel; book and pay for day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 tests – to be taken after arrival and complete a passenger locator form – any time in the 48 hours before arrival.
“After they arrive, travellers must quarantine/self-isolate at home or in the place they are staying for 10 days; take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8.”
It noted that travellers may be able to end quarantine/self-isolation early if they pay for a private COVID-19 test through the Test to Release scheme.
The UK government noted, “From 4 October, vaccinated travellers from a small number of countries and territories – the majority of which are currently on the green list – will be exempt from quarantine and from certain testing requirements, provided they can prove their vaccination status and other requirements are met, including having booked a day 2 test.
“This approach will be kept under regular review and further changes are likely as part of a phased opening up of international travel for vaccinated travellers. The UK is committed to opening up international travel and we are using our COVID-19 vaccine certification process to enable all those wishing to enter the UK to do so safely.”
The high commission said it understood that the frustration over the new UK travel rules would continue to require people travelling to the UK from Nigeria to quarantine despite having received two doses of recognised COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria.
“Following a pilot with the United States of America and the European Union, the UK is working to recognise vaccine certificates from other countries as part of a phased review of the many COVID-19 vaccine certificates issued across the world.
“This includes recognising Nigeria’s vaccine certificate and – in the spirit of our long-term partnership – we are working with Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency to ensure that this happens as soon as possible,” the UK authorities stated.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that Africa’s
mild Covid-19 cases could be as a result of the continent having far more asymptomatic cases than the rest of the world. This was made known by the World Health Organisation’s Regional Office for Africa citing its preliminary analysis that over 80 percent of COVID-19 cases in African countries are asymptomatic.
WHO Regional Director, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti
The global health body disclosed this through its Regional Director, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti who made series of tweets using the agency’s official tweeter handle. She equally noted that studies are now underway to test if communities have antibodies for COVID-19.
It tweeted “Interpreting the #COVID19 situation in the Region is complex, & requires a combination of metrics & tools, which I’m sure our panelists will elaborate on in our discussions today.“ There are now more than 1.4 million reported #COVID19 cases on the African continent & 34,000 people have sadly lost their lives.
“Even before the first cases were reported in #Africa in February, at @WHO we were working with governments & partners to ramp-up preparedness & response capacities for #COVID19 & other infectious diseases.
“From March, Governments quickly implemented restrictions on movement & gathering & this created a window of opportunity to keep case numbers low & strengthen public health capacities.” #COVID19.
“Studies are now underway to test if communities have antibodies for #COVID19, meaning people were infected, but not detected. Some early results… suggest a higher number of infections than those reported.”
“Our preliminary analysis suggests that over 80% of cases in African countries are asymptomatic… & this is reinforced by the fact that in most communities, health facilities have not been overwhelmed by severe #COVID19 cases. #Africa.”
Moeti noted that although cases are being missed, this does not affect the deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the Region.
“We are not seeing evidence of excess mortality due to COVID-19 or missing deaths.
“Overall, I really commend the response in African countries. We are making progress thanks to the concerted efforts of governments, communities & partners.
“Going forward, countries should continue to strengthen data & information, in implementing the key public health tools of surveillance, testing, isolation & contact tracing,” she said.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Based on official figures – which may be somewhat under reported – COVID-19 has not been as devastating in South Africa as initially feared. Back in March and April this year case numbers on the continent were still modest. But predictions and projections were sombre. There seemed to be consensus that African countries had weak public health systems and few testing facilities, and containment and social distancing were going to be problematic in poor communities.
COVID-19 Lab
More specifically, local and international organisations pointed to the fact that these areas typically have the highest incidence of immuno-compromised individuals. Experts feared that the tens of millions with HIV and tuberculosis would be disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
That did not bode well for South Africa, where well over seven million people are believed to have HIV. The immune systems of these individuals are notoriously weak, often unable to fight infections. Fears were that COVID-19 would be devastating to this community.
Those dire forecasts have, so far, not been realised. Around half of the COVID-19 cases on the continent were from South Africa. The country’s COVID-19 cases were around 653,400 as of mid-September. Some 15,705 people are estimated to have died from COVID-19; a tragic number, but not nearly as many as predicted by some. Early predictions were that symptomatic cases of COVID-19 in South Africa could surpass a million by July with 30,000 deaths by November 2020.
These comparatively “low” numbers have come as a surprise. Many possible explanations for this modest-by-comparison outbreak are being floated.
Some insights into previous outbreaks of human coronaviruses may be useful in this regard. My laboratory recently reviewed what is known at this stage – and what is still unknown – about co-infections of HIV and coronaviruses.
Human coronaviruses
There are currently seven known human coronaviruses.
Of these, the four most common and still circulating are reported to cause about 10%-30% of all common colds globally. Fortunately, research shows that they cause no more than mild to moderate cold symptoms. In rare cases, these human coronaviruses can cause more serious respiratory disease in children, the elderly, the immuno-compromised such as people with HIV and people with underlying illness. But, as far as we know, deaths as a result of infections from the “common” human coronaviruses are quite rare.
Then there are three more pathogenic or life-threatening coronaviruses. The first among these to appear among humans is the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed around 10% of the just-over 8,000 people who were infected.
The next was the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which causes the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that killed an estimated 34% of about 2,494 people known to have been infected.
Morgan Morris, a freelance writer for the WHO, and filmmaker is based in Cape Town
We have learned that there are a number of factors linked to severe disease and death from SARS-CoV-2. These include advanced age; being a male; and the presence of other pre-existing medical conditions including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease and kidney disease. This doesn’t mean that the young and women are immune to the disease. They can catch the virus, and pass it on to others.
Of particular interest in South Africa is the risk of COVID-19 and HIV co-infections.
The HIV and CoV interactions
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a lack of published academic work on HIV and coronavirus co-infections. This is, in part, why the spectre of COVID-19 running amok in countries with large numbers of people living with HIV – like South Africa – raised anxiety levels. Particularly because, as early as the late 1980s, coronaviruses had been shown to be agents of opportunistic infections in immunocompromised hosts, and were linked to diarrhoeal disease among AIDS patients.
During the same period, another study reported on a connection between HIV and SARS. In this case, 19 HIV-positive patients shared a hospital ward with 95 patients confirmed positive for SARS. Somehow, none of the HIV-positive patients became infected with the SARS-CoV. Six of the 28 medical personnel who worked in the ward were infected. At the time, researchers began speculating that antiretroviral treatment was offering patients with HIV some protection against the SARS-CoV. But, since SARS-CoV disappeared so quickly from the human population, this was not positively established.
The COVID-19 pandemic has propelled the study of HIV-coronavirus co-infections.
My laboratory recently published an overview of studies that looked at COVID-19 infections among more than 11,000 HIV-positive individuals. The risk associated with coinfections is still a matter of debate. But the estimated COVID-19 prevalence reported in various studies does not suggest increased rates of hospitalisation or mortality in HIV-positive patient populations. Clinical characteristics and disease outcomes were comparable to those described for the general population with COVID-19.
The reasons for these infection and mortality rates are still unclear. But scientists have come up with several interesting hypotheses.
One is that antiretroviral treatments have anti-CoV properties and offer some level of protection against COVID-19 infection. Another is that the weakened immune system of people with HIV stops it from “overreacting” to the presence of the coronavirus. In this way it averts the elevated inflammation that is being associated with COVID-19. A related argument has been made that because the helper T-cells have been deactivated in HIV-positive patients, the response of the immune system is tempered, again limiting the risks of excessive inflammation.
A more intriguing hypothesis suggests that the original HIV infection changes the host cells so they no longer offer a favourable environment for other viruses. This phenomenon is called “viral interference”. And it’s been argued that some cold-causing viruses have stopped at least one flu pandemic in Europe in its tracks in 2009.
Moving forward
Concern over HIV-positive patients is understandable. But current data from the COVID-19 pandemic – and past experiences with SARS and MERS – suggest that they do not form an at-risk group. This raises the question of whether HIV serves as an immunological shield against more severe forms of the new disease.
What has been quite apparent from the start is that old age and co-morbidities such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes are more telling considerations in both general infections and HIV/SARS-CoV-2 co-infections.
Based on what we now know, should a second or even a third wave of COVID-19 be forthcoming, state and health officials should consider a more strategic and targeted approach to containment.
Morgan Morris, a freelance writer for the WHO, and filmmaker is based in Cape Town.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens hard-won gains in health and education over the past decade, especially in the poorest countries, a new World Bank Group analysis finds. Investments in human capital—the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate over their lives—are key to unlocking a child’s potential and to improving economic growth in every country.
World Bank Group President David Malpass
The World Bank Group’s 2020 Human Capital Index includes health and education data for 174 countries – covering 98 percent of the world’s population – up to March 2020, providing a pre-pandemic baseline on the health and education of children. The analysis shows that pre-pandemic, most countries had made steady progress in building human capital of children, with the biggest strides made in low-income countries. Despite this progress, and even before the effects of the pandemic, a child born in a typical country could expect to achieve just 56 percent of their potential human capital, relative to a benchmark of complete education and full health.
“The pandemic puts at risk the decade’s progress in building human capital, including the improvements in health, survival rates, school enrollment, and reduced stunting. The economic impact of the pandemic has been particularly deep for women and for the most disadvantaged families, leaving many vulnerable to food insecurity and poverty,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass. “Protecting and investing in people is vital as countries work to lay the foundation for sustainable, inclusive recoveries and future growth.”
Due to the pandemic’s impact, most children – more than 1 billion – have been out of school and could lose out, on average, half a year of schooling, adjusted for learning, translating into considerable monetary losses. Data also shows significant disruptions to essential health services for women and children, with many children missing out on crucial vaccinations.
The 2020 Human Capital Index also presents a decade-long view of the evolution of human capital outcomes from 2010 through 2020, finding improvements across all regions, where data are available, and across all income levels. These were largely due to improvements in health, reflected in better child and adult survival rates and reduced stunting, as well as an increase in school enrollment. This progress is now at risk due to the global pandemic.
The analysis finds that human capital outcomes for girls are on average higher than for boys. However, this has not translated into comparable opportunities to use human capital in the labor market: on average, employment rates are 20 percentage points lower for women than for men, with a wider gap in many countries and regions. Moreover, the pandemic is exacerbating risks of gender-based violence, child marriage and adolescent pregnancy, all of which further reduce opportunities for learning and empowerment for women and girls.
Today, hard-won human capital gains in many countries are at risk. But countries can do more than just work to recover the lost progress. To protect and extend earlier human capital gains, countries need to expand health service coverage and quality among marginalized communities, boost learning outcomes together with school enrollments, and support vulnerable families with social protection measures adapted to the scale of the COVID-19 crisis. The World Bank Group is working closely with governments to develop long-term solutions to protect and invest in people during and after the pandemic: In Ethiopia, Haiti and Mongolia, the Bank has been supporting the acquisition of vital medical equipment.In Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, and Nepal, the Bank is supporting the development of school safety and hygiene protocols while working with Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene teams to provide basic sanitization and hygiene supplies.
In Jordan and Turkey, through recently approved new operations, the Bank is supporting the development of TV and digital content for blended teaching and learning for the new academic year, as well as psycho-social counseling and remedial courses.
In the Sahel region, the Bank is backing the Sahel Women’s Economic Empowerment and the Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) project aimed at creating a favorable environment for women and girls’ empowerment through programs to keep girls in school, and to expand economic opportunities and access to quality reproductive health services. .The Bank is also helping India immediately scale-up cash transfers and food benefits, using a set of pre-existing national platforms and programs, to provide social protection for essential workers involved in COVID-19 relief efforts; and benefit vulnerable groups, particularly migrants and informal workers, who face high risks of exclusion.
Ambitious, evidence-driven policy measures in health, education, and social protection can recover lost ground and pave the way for today’s children to surpass the human capital achievements and quality of life of the generations that preceded them. Fully realizing the creative promise embodied in each child has never been more important.
The World Bank Group, one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, is taking broad, fast action to help developing countries strengthen their pandemic response. We are supporting public health interventions, working to ensure the flow of critical supplies and equipment, and helping the private sector continue to operate and sustain jobs. We will be deploying up to $160 billion in financial support over 15 months to help more than 100 countries protect the poor and vulnerable, support businesses, and bolster economic recovery. This includes $50 billion of new IDA resources through grants and highly concessional loans.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
The fact of the matter is African countries will need some form of sizable fiscal expansion in order to address the most pressing issues emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic, which for the time being, has yet to take hold with the same severity as witnessed in other parts of the world.
These measures must primarily target infrastructure: first, to bolster critical healthcare services; and second, in the form of government assistance in the primary utility sector to ensure unrestricted access to water and electricity following implementation of requisite lockdown protocols. Furthermore, funding should also be made available to the private sector as a backstop to the inevitable economic contraction driven by a freeze in real economic activity.
Moratorium on debt repayments “is not as critical”
The issue of a moratorium or a ‘standstill’ on debt repayments as suggested is not as critical in relation to the aforementioned needs, and more importantly, would greatly compromise the future access of African economies to international markets. Such a standstill would be perceived as a default, and no matter the severity of the current shock, it would inflict great damage over the long run. Private markets themselves ought to be the ultimate provider of productivity enhancing capital that is so critical for the continued development on the continent.
As an example, the ability for countries such as Benin and Ghana to access capital markets over the past year at 5.75% for seven years (EUR500m), and 8.875% for 40 years (US$750m), respectively, is a testament to the favourable conditions from which African nations have benefited. It would be wise not to jeopardize such a milestone at this juncture.
The issue of Eurobond debt repayment could instead be addressed as part of a comprehensive package that includes, most importantly, a fiscal backstop aimed at addressing the current and incoming economic challenges facing Sub-Saharan African countries as outlined above. Such funds could be disbursed to the countries in need by multilateral institutions in the form of a 10-year zero coupon debt at a cost of say 1% (as merely one possibility).
Nigeria is a case in point, which recently requested $6.9bn of multilateral financing from the IMF, World Bank and African Development Bank to combat the brewing coronavirus crisis. Part of the request would be used to establish a $1.2bn COVID-19 crisis intervention fund to upgrade healthcare facilities and provide intervention funds to states. Such an amount needs to be compared to its external debt servicing commitments which will average less than $750m over the next 48 months.
If Africa is to wean itself from its long-standing dependency on donors and multilateral funds to finance its economic development, it needs to evolve towards market-based financing. With principal and interest commitments on all outstanding Sub-Saharan Africa Eurobonds tallying approximately $5bn per year over the next 48 months, such “relief” as proposed would be a high price to pay to compromise the region’s hard-earned access to international capital markets and unhindered future development.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Inspite of the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, some business concerns are still actively building investment bridges. One of such is the pen to paer for the acquisition of Grand Petroleum’s lubricants unit by GP Global. One of the major conglomerates operating from its base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) GP Global, acquired the lubricants assets of Nigeria’s Grand Petroleum; Grand Petroleum as part of Nigerian conglomerate: The Nosak Group; the acquisition further strengthens GP Global’s presence in Nigeria and West Africa; the acquisition includes a blending plant & a robust distributor network; the plant has a blending capacity of about 50,000 metric tonnes per year.
Global Head- Lubricants & Base Oil, at GP Global Sudip Shyam
GP Global, a leading global energy-to-agriculture conglomerate, today said it had made a strategic acquisition of the lubricants assets of Grand Petroleum, Nigeria’s leading lubricants player and part of the Nosak Group, in order to expand and strengthen its presence in Nigeria and West Africa. The acquisition includes assets such as – lubricants brand – HiSpeed and a state-of-the-art blending plant with an annual capacity of about 50,000 metric tonnes in Lagos, which includes storage tanks with a capacity of 6,000 kilolitres.
The Global Head- Lubricants & Base Oil, at GP Global Sudip Shyam said that “Nigeria is one of the core markets for our lubricants and base oil business with a significant opportunity now opening up to expand our presence in Africa. We have already built a strong lubricant market share in India and the Middle East. Through local manufacturing and a strong distribution network in Nigeria, the acquisition will position us one of the fastest-growing global lubricants and base oil businesses,”
He said that GP Global is fully committed to supporting the local economy and will focus on unlocking the true potential of the lubricants and base oil business in the continent through this strategic acquisition. It will also strengthen the base oil market of GP Global, by leveraging on the storage and ability to import premium base oils for distribution. “This is a strategic acquisition by GP Global that will consolidate our presence in key African markets. The strong manufacturing competencies that we gain through the acquisition of a wide range of lubricants, and the advantage we gain in base oil trade will add to our market share. With this acquisition, we aim to grow our business of oil and agricultural products as well as build a strong retail network in Africa,” said Ajay Pandey, COO for Nigeria, GP Global.
GP Global will lead the operations of the newly acquired business with a strong team of Nigerians, several of them already part of the existing team. The operations of the Nigerian company are certified by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria as part of the MANCAP (Mandatory Conformity Assessment). It has built strong competencies in the manufacturing and sale of lubricant oils, toll blending, engine oils, hydraulic oils, automobile fuels and lubrication, industrial fuels and lubrication, and other specialty oils. GP Global is also a leading lubricants player in UAE and India, where it has high-end manufacturing units in the industrial and automotive lubricants sector. The company recently announced setting up of a new blending plant in India and aims to process 500 million litres of lubricants across India, Middle East and West Africa this year.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Less than 24 hours after confirming an index case of Covid-19, Sierra Leone has announced a second case which involved a medical doctor with no links to the first patient. Both cases were registered in the capital Freetown. To stop further spread of the disease in a country that suffered heavily in 2014 over the Ebola outbreak which it has not fully recovered till date, Sierra Leonean government has announced a three-day nationwide lockdown as a containment measure against the spread of the virus. The country’s Defence minister and national COVID19 Coordinator, Brig (Rtd) Kellie Conteh made this known in a broadcast. However, doctors in the country are calling for a two-week lockdown instead of three days arguing that 14 days is the normal incubation period for the virus and will enable them easily identify any potential cases. They also called for protective gear for all health facilities and a “designated and adequate facility” for affected frontline health workers”, plus compensation.
national COVID19 Coordinator, Brig (Rtd) Kellie Conteh
The country becomes the 48th African country to record a case as well as the last in West Africa to do so. Already a raft of measures has been imposed to check the entry and subsequent spread of the virus. As part of the measures, government announced that schools and other learning institutions throughout Sierra Leone will close indefinitely. Government had closed all borders last week after neighbours Guinea and Liberia did so.
Guinea also announced a 9pm – 5am curfew throughout the country to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Neighbouring Guinea which is also under a state of emergency, jump in figures have been recorded from 21 new cases to 52. The new cases emerged from a list of primary contacts of earlier patients from Europe. President Alpha Conde also isolates the capital, Conakry with no vehicular movements allowed to and from the rest of the country. This, after the country’s COVID numbers doubled. Guinea’s current tally stands at 22.
Sierra Leone’s border closures come in the wake of same action taken by neighbours Guinea and Liberia. Guinea president Alpha Conde declared a state of emergency on Friday also for 30-days over the virus. The closure will last for a renewable period of 30 days excepting cargo vehicles which will be limited to two apprentices & a driver. They’ll be subjected to a 14-day surveillance by both countries on entry and exit. All learning institutions & entertainment centers have been closed for 14 days, as have churches & mosques. All cultural events have been prohibited.
Liberia is currently in a lockdown over the pandemic. The three countries were at the heart of the Ebola epidemic that killed thousands years ago. Despite being among 11 African countries that have not recorded any cases of the coronavirus, Sierra Leone president Julius Maada Bio has imposed a twelve-month state of public health emergency effective March 24.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Africa urgently needs a globally coordinated Ubuntu Plan in response to COVID-19, a fiscal stimulus that recognises our shared and connected humanity, as we find ourselves in the midst of an unprecedented crisis.
Dr Victor Oladokun, outgoing Director of Communication & External Relations at the African Development Bank Group
The plan is named after an African word and approach which literally means “being self through others”.The world’s largest cities are eerily silent. One virus has disrupted the whole world in a manner never seen before in history.
COVID-19, a term that did not exist in our vocabulary a couple of months ago, has brought virtually everything to a grinding halt. It’s a surreal almost cinematic scene. Except that we are all living through it.
With governments balancing economies and the welfare of their citizens, entire industries and institutional systems find themselves fighting for survival in the midst of mandatory lockdowns. Food supply chains, transportation networks, educational systems, governance and judicial systems are either strained or barely functioning with medical services being the worst hit.
Unlike any other pandemic, COVID-19 will alter the way we live, work, and socialise. The financial costs and the economic devastation are already of epic proportions. This is why Africa in particular urgently needs an Ubuntu Plan. A globally coordinated fiscal stimulus plan that recognises our shared and connected humanity.
The case for an Ubuntu Plan
This past week, America passed a 2 trillion Dollar stimulus package that will keep markets operational, support Americans out of work, and help reduce Federal Reserve lending rates. It is the largest bailout in the history of the United States. European economies likewise have announced stimulus measures in excess of 1 trillion Euros. Chinese factories are ramping up again, backed by a $344 billion stimulus package.
In contrast, Africa’s economies are already buckling. Global demand for oil and gas and commodity products – the mainstays of Africa’s leading economies – has stalled. Revenues which were already overextended have dried up and small, medium, and large enterprises are at risk of total collapse.
Last Thursday, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimated that the pandemic could reduce the growth of the region’s gross domestic product (GDP) from 3.2% to 1.8% in 2020. On 27th March, The Secretary General of the UN Antonio Guterres said: “Africa is a continent with very little capacity to respond and I am extremely worried that in those situations, we might have millions of cases with millions of people dying.”
Even though the United States, Europe and many parts of Asia are better suited economically and infrastructurally to a lockdown, they are struggling to cope with the burden of this sudden pandemic. A situation that will likely will be worsened by the duration and unpredictability of the pandemic.
If these societies are struggling, the impact on Africa is best imagined.
Prior to the crisis, 41% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population lived on less than $1.90 a day which is very little to survive on. Seven out of ten persons (70%) in Africa are in vulnerable and precarious forms of informal employment eking their living on a daily basis.
Lockdown, homeworking and teleconferencing is therefore not an option. Family support systems from blue and white-collar workers and the diaspora, are themselves under threat. Job losses will strain these critical informal support systems to breaking points.
In Africa, formal social safety nets rarely exist. Therefore, stockpiling food items for extended periods of isolation is out of consideration. Linked with this, Africa requires vast food supplies to meet the needs of the continent’s poorest who can barely afford a decent mmeal.
Recent cyclones, Kenneth and Idai, and a plague of locusts, have already put considerable pressure on immediate food supplies for the continent.
Which is why an Ubuntu Plan is now critical in order to cushion the harsh social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. Such a plan would include a fiscal stimulus package, the development of critical infrastructure and support for the continent’s most vulnerable populations.
The fact is that in the 21st century, clean water supplies and access to electricity are the stuff of dreams for millions of Africans. Globally, almost 800 million people are without access to clean water. Of these, 40% live in sub-Saharan Africa. The simple act of hand washing which the pandemic requires for prevention is still not possible for millions.
Linked with this, less than 58% of Africa’s population has access to modern healthcare facilities.
A race against time
Africa and its partners have already been striving hard to tackle the challenge of eradicating poverty with measures such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and the African Development Bank’s High5 strategy.
The COVID-19 pandemic however shines the spotlight on Africa’s poor healthcare delivery systems and facilities and its vast challenges. Africa has one of the highest population densities in the world. For people living in tens of thousands of informal settlements, the idea of social distancing is inconceivable. Millions of vulnerable low-income people live in cramped communal houses and rooms and in areas that lack basic amenities, especially water and sanitation.
In the short term, to effectively combat COVID-19, we urgently need self-testing kits, personal protective equipment (PPEs), makeshift living spaces and hospitals, recovery units and inexpensive easy-to-operate ventilators.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has already issued a ten-point strategy that calls for the creation of corridors on the continent to facilitate emergency deployments and material shipments.
The plan also calls on governments and the private sector to help increase supplies, medical equipment and care, and to strengthen surveillance and public awareness, in order to prevent continent-wide community transmission.
In the short window available, global cooperation is imperative.
The African Union’s Vision Agenda 2063 and action plan states among other things, that “We are part of the global drive through the United Nations and other multilateral organisations to find multi-lateral approaches to humanity’s most pressing concerns including human security and peace, the eradication of poverty, hunger and disease…”
Rethinking the future
In the mid to long term, we must urgently rethink social life, urban and rural planning and our budgetary priorities, if life is to be preserved. We must decongest informal settlements rapidly and in their place develop affordable housing that is suitable for isolation and quarantine, in the event of future pandemics.
There is no better time for a globally coordinated Ubuntu Plan. To stop the global spread of COVID-19 and its global devastation, it must be stopped in Africa. The world must pay attention and lend a helping hand by strengthening global cooperation, now more than ever before.
Ubuntu – The preservation of human dignity, health, lives and wellbeing, demands nothing less.
Dr Victor Oladokun is the outgoing Director of Communication & External Relations at the African Development Bank Group
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
More than 600 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in 34 countries in Africa as of 19 March, compared with 147 cases one week ago. Although the region has seen a significant increase in confirmed cases recently, there are still fewer cases than in other parts of the world.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa
“The rapid evolution of COVID-19 in Africa is deeply worrisome and a clear signal for action,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa. “But we can still change the course of this pandemic. Governments must draw on all of their resources and capabilities and strengthen their response.”
Twelve countries in the African region are now experiencing local transmission. It is crucial that governments prevent local transmission from evolving into a worst case scenario of widespread sustained community transmission. Such a scenario will present a major challenge to countries with weak health systems.
“Africa can learn from the experiences of other countries which have seen a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases through rapidly scaling up testing, isolating cases and meticulously tracking contacts,” said Dr Moeti.
Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemicpandemic will evolve in Africa is still a work in progress. The response will need to be adapted to the African context – the demographics on the continent are very different from China, Europe and the USA. Africa has the world’s youngest population and it appears that older people are more vulnerable to COVID-19. However, preliminary analysis finds that people with underlying conditions are at higher risk. Across the Region, nearly 26 million people are living with HIV. Over 58 million children have stunted growth due to malnutrition. So it is possible that younger people will be more at risk in Africa than in other parts of the world.
WHO has been supporting governments with early detection by providing COVID-19 testing kits to countries in Africa, training lab technicians, and strengthening surveillance in communities. Forty-five countries in Africa can now test for COVID-19: at the start of the outbreak only two could do so. WHO is also providing remote support to affected countries on the use of electronic data tools, so national health authorities can better understand the outbreak in their countries. Personal protective equipment has been shipped to 24 countries, and a second shipment is being prepared for countries with confirmed cases.
“COVID-19 is one of the biggest health challenges Africa has faced in a generation,” said Dr Moeti. “We can only stop this virus through solidarity. And the world is coming together. Donors are stepping up to the plate and providing funding while private sector in many countries are offering their support as well.”
Lessons learnt in addressing previous epidemics are being used as a foundation to respond.
Basic preventative measures by individuals and communities remain the most powerful tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For this reason, WHO is helping local authorities craft radio messaging and TV spots to inform the public about the risks of COVID-19 and what measures should be taken. WHO is also conducting rumour management in all affected countries, and is guiding countries on setting up call-centres and hotlines to ensure the public is informed.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
There seem to be a flicker of hope from findings of a new study published in science journal Nature Medicine which examines the case of a patient who contracted COVID-19 in Wuhan and fell ill in Melbourne, Australia which according to researchers could provide a more comprehensive view of how and why certain people react to the virus more seriously than others.
The patient’s case was described as a “mild-to-moderate” case, and while she was hospitalized, she was only treated with intravenous fluids to counter dehydration and didn’t receive any other drugs, nor did she require being put on a ventilator. Accordingly, her case was one of the less severe that required hospitalization, providing an opportunity for scientists to study in detail her body’s mostly positive immune response to the novel coronavirus.
Researchers from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity received the patient’s permission to participate in their research, along with a number of other subjects, and were able to collect blood samples that showed how her immune responses performed, and when they activated. The research showed that the patient started developing antibodies in the patient’s blood before her symptoms fully disappeared, and that they remained present at least seven days after the infection went away.
While this case alone won’t provide any definitive information without additional study and examination of other patients, it’s a promising step towards evaluating how healthcare professionals treating COVID-19 patients might be able to discover earlier which patients will end up with more severe symptoms, and which will develop milder cases. They could also inform the development of new medical interventions to ultimately reduce case severity, or help develop vaccines with maximum efficacy.
This research could also help us better understand how post-illness immunity works for COVID-19. With other coronaviruses, like the common cold and the flu, immunization is temporary, which is why we have a seasonal flu shot, for instance. We don’t yet know in great detail how immunity works for recovered COVID-19 patients, and this research could provide more insight into that.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
