So far, African countries have been spared the high death tolls seen in Italy, Spain, and the U.S., but officials are bracing for the worst in the coming weeks.
Even as Asia, Europe and North America battle to keep the spread of coronavirus under control, public health officials are raising the alarm that infection rates in Africa could soon boom, while also undermining international efforts to end the pandemic.
Experts fear that African nations’ limited health care infrastructure may be quickly overwhelmed by the fast-spreading coronavirus and that the interaction between COVID-19 and already prevalent infectious diseases may result in a perfect storm of sickness that could, according to worst-case scenarios, kill millions.
There are now more than 10,200 confirmed coronavirus cases on the continent. Any count is, however, likely to be a “gross under-estimate of the true burden of COVID-19” because the symptoms are similar to other viral diseases and because of the dearth of available tests for it, said Dr. Meredith McMorrow, a medical officer in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s influenza division based in South Africa, during a conference call with reporters.
These shortfalls are hardly confined to the west of the continent. Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said 15,000 additional ventilators were needed for his city of 8 million people to get through the next two months. Some experts believe that certain factors, e.g. extensive experience in responding to previous epidemics like Ebola, will allow some African countries to effectively deal with the pandemic. Age might also play an important role, since old age is a major risk factor for death from COVID-19. “At least 70 percent of our population is less than 30 years old.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
What Africa and an Indian state tell us about containing past contagionsSome countries have succeeded in controlling outbreaks of deadly viruses in the not-so-distant past. And rigorous tracking of suspected carriers has been crucial
Lire la suite »
Lockdowns: Saving lives, but ruining livelihoods in AfricaLockdowns: Saving lives, but ruining livelihoods in Africa. As the informal sector accounts for more than 85% of employment across the continent and will be largely bypassed by economic support measures that cash-strapped governments are rolling out
Lire la suite »
French doctor apologizes for comments on testing a COVID-19 vaccine in Africa that prompted outrage on social media‘Shouldn’t we be doing this study in Africa where there are no masks, no treatment, no intensive care, a little bit like we did in certain AIDS studies or with prostitutes?’ Dr. Jean-Paul Mira said.
Lire la suite »
Few Doctors, Fewer Ventilators: African Countries Fear They Are Defenseless Against Inevitable Spread of CoronavirusFew Doctors, Fewer Ventilators: Africa Fears It Is Defenseless Against Inevitable Spread of Coronavirus
Lire la suite »
Covid-19 takes out a warship. The US Navy shoots the messengerThe Roosevelt’s captain was accused of causing panic. His true offence may have been embarrassing superiors
Lire la suite »