Everybody or at least 90% of the world population is aware of covid19 and the worldwide effects it has had on the human population. Countless numbers of people have died, with the economic system of the world suffering dire effects. Countries cannot afford to sustain their people, with companies and businesses filing for bankruptcy in countless numbers.
Some countries have at least managed to control somewhat the spread of the virus; however, the human economic and cultural costs have been immense, and yet up to now, more than five months after the start of the infection, no cure is in sight. The best hospitals can do for their patients to control the disease by providing necessary support, trying and controlling, and hopefully eliminating the virus.
On the onset of the virus, however, Africa was spared the huge impact and the toll that countries like China and Italy initially took, with small cases witnessed in countries like South Africa. As time progressed, we started seeing more cases crossing over to African countries, with America experiencing higher cases of the Covid virus.
This article will trace the introduction of the corona virus in Africa and the impact it has had on the continent, taking into account the response and capability of managing and controlling the virus.
How the Corona virus Spread in Africa
By the time the virus broke out in China, most countries were not aware of the pandemic. We can argue about how china handled the information aspect of alerting other countries to the virus; however, what is factual is that flights were working normally; meaning the chances of spreading the virus was high. By the time the country undertook a full close down of Wuhan City, the epicenter of the virus, most European countries had started getting infected people in their shores. The first case of coronavirus was found in Egypt on 14th February, this was the inception, with 52 countries getting cases soon after. As the virus started spreading across Africa, the capability to deal with the pandemic came in question, taking into account the toll it took on the more developed and first world countries. According to pediatrician and HIV researcher Glenda Ray, the impact of the coronavirus cannot be properly predicted, with the scant attention it is getting from the world, and the disproportionate effects of other diseases common in Africa, such as HIV, TB, malaria coupled with the weak health systems across Africa. Other factors, such as the effective control of populations in Africa, based on weak systems that can be circumvented corruptively, pose a huge risk. Let’s take a look at the impact of the virus on the continent as a whole, relating the effects on certain countries bearing the virus’s brunt.The Health Impact of Coronavirus in Africa
The African continent was already dealing with several health issues before the break of the pandemic. Basic health amenities such as contraceptives were already a huge problem with47 million in middle and low income unable to access contraceptives. Sub Saharan Africa is already reeling from a lack of health interventions. It depends on to ensure they control certain diseases, including measles, malaria, etc. Countries like Chad, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Sudan are already experiencing disruptions in measles vaccination programs that have diverted to cater to the Covid attack. The vaccine alliance called Gavi has had to postpone around 14 vaccination programs against Polio, measles, cholera, yellow fever, and meningitis, which will cover over 13 million people due to coronavirus. On its part, the WHO has also redirected resources meant to vaccinate up to 12 million children against Polio, redirecting it to Covid 19. The WHO has also warned that malaria might take up to 70,000 lives if Covid keeps on taking funds. Organizations like the bill and Melinda gates foundation have pivoted their whole focus to Covid 19, meaning several charities and programs hey run in Africa face financial problems, including malaria, HIV, and polio eradication. The heavy reliance of Africa to foreign financial aid poses the greatest risk, as due to a different focus on the Covid virus, African countries have been left largely alone on other diseases. Since the Covid 19 virus is more dangerous to people suffering pre-existing conditions, it means that, due to the extent of health problems facing Africans, it is more likely that Africa may face devastating effects of the coronavirus.The Economic Impact of the Coronavirus
The economic commission of Africa asks for consideration when it comes to city economics as part of control mechanisms to economic vulnerabilities. African governments have tried to unite and define stimulus measures to help mitigate national and regional economic impacts. African cities carry up to50% of GDP, while countries like Kenya Botswana Tunisia and Ugandacarry up to 70% of the GDP. This means that African cities, being packed and providing a huge chunk of GDP, seem to need way more protection from financial decline. Also, the expenditure per capita for African local authorities is lowest at $26. Due to the poorly resourced local authorities can not maintain the onslaught of Covid 19. The sure fall in revenues also brought about by the Covid virus will be a huge threat to the spread of the virus based on rules that need to be followed, such as locking down entire cities to help control the virus. Apart from these issues, there is the problem of handling each patient who may have Covid. This runs from tests to treatment. Initially, provisions for testing kits were non-existent; however, with rapid responses from countries like China, test kits were made available and donated to most countries. On the other hand, treatment of Covid 19 requires ventilators that come in to assist a patient in breathing. Most African countries do not have access to this equipment, plus due to a worldwide shortage of the same, the possibility of accessing enough ventilators to feed a whole continent is a huge problem. In Kenya, particularly, the number of ventilators at the onset of the virus, and currently has not significantly increased, even with the number of Covid patients spiking. Hospitals are getting swamped, and even handling testing alone is becoming a problem. On the industrial side, most companies can no longer operate, especially if they are not essential services. This means due to lack of business, a lot of companies have closed down, and at the same time, seen a lot of people lose their jobs. More and more companies are looking to their governments for bailouts, to enable them to pay the workers and services they need.Sociological Impact of Covid 19
On a sociological level, the coronavirus affects everyone in Africa more so the vulnerable population, including people living in poverty, older people, people with disabilities, youth, and indigenous persons. A great example is homeless people who cannot afford to find safe shelters, leaving them exposed to the virus. Africa also comes with a lot of people who lack such things as running water, refugees, immigrants and other marginalized people who suffer due to the lack of economic empowerment to take care of themselves and their young ones effectively. Unless the social phenomenon is effectively catered for through social policies aimed at curbing and controlling the virus, it may result in increased inequality exclusion, discrimination, and global unemployment in Africa in the near and long term. Restrictive measures that came from lockdowns have resulted in reduced interactions, which limits social developments have also caused a huge impact due to coronavirus. Most of the people in Africa rely on person-to-person contact, with more people working physically on their jobs. This means there is little social and economic development, which, if it becomes adverse, may cause even more problems for Africa.Conclusion
We are still reeling from the impact of Covid 19, yet we still have a long way to go. The Kenyan health minister was quoted saying if we treat the virus normally, it will treat us abnormally. Most European projections for the coronavirus in Africa foretell a sad story, and it will be up to the African countries, and its citizens to pull themselves together and find a way to control the virus. It will be essential for the citizens to follow their government directive and for the government to find ways for effectively controlling the virus.
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