COVID-19 Has Seemingly Slow Start in Africa

Agencies across the world are rapidly mobilizing in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19, especially in countries with weak healthcare systems. (Health.mil)

The first case of the global pandemic COVID-19 on the African continent was reported in Egypt on February 14. As of March 16, there were 350 cases across the continent.

Since the beginning of COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, began to spread in Wuhan, China, more than 100,000 cases have been reported globally. The vast majority of these cases are constrained to China, alongside close neighbors Korea and Japan. However, the disease has begun to spread rapidly across the entire world, particularly in parts of the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. As of March 16, there are around 15,000 cases in Iran, alongside another 24,700 reported in Italy.

Despite rapid spread elsewhere, COVID-19 has been somewhat slow to reach most of Africa. From the beginning of the outbreak, international organizations and heads of state were rightfully concerned about its effects on countries with underdeveloped healthcare systems. However, the slow transmission of COVID-19 across Africa has given states time to prepare. 

In sub-Saharan Africa, 33 of 47 countries maintain testing facilities as of March 12, a significant jump from the two countries that did so in January.  

Some African states can also lean on experience and protocols from Ebola outbreaks that have struck the continent in recent years. For example, the 2014 Ebola outbreak that spread havoc across West Africa empowered local governments to respond more effectively to widespread disease, which may help efforts to counter COVID-19.

Dr. Mosoka Fallah, the acting leader of Liberia’s National Public Health Institute, said, “The national institute that’s now leading preparedness for coronavirus did not exist before Ebola.” He continued, saying, “The skill did not exist before, the knowledge did not exist before, the manpower did not exist before and the infrastructure did not exist before.”

Likewise, some healthcare experts remain optimistic about the capability of African states to identify and contain cases of the coronavirus. The rapid identification of Nigeria’s first case gives some cause for hope. Dr. Ngozi Erondu of Chatham House, a British think tank, described it as “a very positive reflection of the disease surveillance and laboratory capacity in Nigeria.”

Despite the slow spread of cases in Africa, many experts highlight the still-present possibility for a sudden overwhelming of state healthcare systems as a reason to stay vigilant and concerned. The head of Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, expressed concern over how COVID-19 might interact with other widespread diseases, saying, “There are lots of unknowns. We don’t know how this virus will interact with malaria in our context, we don’t know how it will interact with HIV.”