The coronavirus in Africa has remained quiet for a long time. There was great hope that the virus would not reach the continent or that SARS-CoV-2 would find it harder in the warmer climate. But the illusion has broken. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are now more than 1,000 cases in at least 40 countries.
„The global humanitarian system is currently not prepared for a major outbreak of Covid-19 in crisis areas and chronically poor regions,“ warned the general secretary of the organization CARE Germany, Karl-Otto Zentel. „Poor countries with an extremely weak medical infrastructure must now be supported.“
Washing hands is essential in the fight against the virus. But access to soap and water is difficult in many African countries. This is not only the case in cities. Washing hands is „one of the challenges, especially in rural areas where access to soap and water could be a problem,“ said Michel Yao, head of WHO’s emergency programs in Africa.
Difficult to implement „social distancing“
„Social Distancing“ can hardly be implemented in Africa like in Europe. „The socio-economic circumstances of many Africans, especially in the cities, make social distancing (…) a major challenge,“ said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO chief for Africa. Many people live in a confined space.
Although many countries try to protect their population from infection with far-reaching and drastic measures, their infrastructure is hardly sufficient for a large number of sick people. Everything is missing: intensive care beds, doctors, nursing staff, breathing apparatus.
Malawi, for example, according to the national „Medical Journal“, has just a double-digit number of emergency beds in its hospitals for its 18 million inhabitants. Other countries, such as Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have conflicts on their territory, which makes healthcare and education about the virus difficult.
