How world sees Africa: More resilient against Covid-19? – Financial Times

The narrative on Africa and the outbreak of the novel coronavirus is that the continent will be hit in a significant way and that it would not have the health systems to respond. It has been described as "extremely devastating for Africa", with Save the Children warning that millions could die. It prompted governments in Africa to clamp down swiftly and in many cases, including in South Africa, authorities were more decisive than European nations because of the prevalence of HIV/Aids cases. But so far, the worst predictions about Africa and Covid-19 have fortunately not played out and researchers are puzzled why reported Covid-19 death tolls in African countries are lower than elsewhere. In this article in the Financial Times, scientists look at various factors that could make Africans more resilient, but they caution that it is too soon to draw any conclusions, that cases are now rising sharply and that Africa may simply be behind the curve. Added to the factors that the FT lifts out that may contribute to resilience, is Africa's experience in dealing with viral outbreaks including the Ebola virus and HIV/Aids. In South Africa, an HIV infrastructure which includes an army of community workers are deployed in communities which CNN has described as South Africa's" best weapon in fighting Covid-19." – Linda van  Tilburg

By Thulasizwe Sithole

The novel coronavirus was first diagnosed in Egypt in a Chinese national in mid-February and it has spread across the continent since then. Many experts including Microsoft Founder Bill Gates have warned that it could claim as many as 10 million lives "if left unchecked in a region of crowded slums and flimsy health systems." The Financial Times reports that it has however been two months since the first case and there is tentative hope that "the continent could be spared the worst of the pandemic."

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