Since Sars-Cov-2’s official appearance on the continent on 14 February 2020, the number of pollutants and deaths due to the pandemic has seemed largely limited, despite a resurgence in some countries in recent weeks.
The numbers do not leave until then, no room for doubt. 2.32 million pollutants, 55,265 deaths. Ten months after the first officially declared case in Egypt, the African continent has only 3.4% of coronavirus contaminants while it represents 17% of the world population. The reality of the spread of the virus is undoubtedly much greater, especially in countries with limited screening capacity, but most African countries have, from the beginning of the pandemic, managed to prevent or contain, widespread transmission of society and thereby abolish the most alarmist predictions.
At the World Health Organization (WHO), however, we want to be very vigilant. “The virus continues to circulate and most people remain vulnerable,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organisation’s director general, told Geneva on December 10 at the opening of the third Forum Galien Africa, held in Dakar, the Senegalese capital. According to him, the African continent is “in a central period” in dealing with the global pandemic. “In recent weeks, we have seen a worrying increase in the number of cases and deaths,” warned the head of the global health agency.
A contrasting situation
In fact, since the beginning of October, the circulation of the virus has resumed and the curve has begun to rise again. Always uneven. Countries in southern Africa and North Africa have the largest number of cases. That is, seven countries with a total of 81% of pollution, including South Africa (27%) which is still the most affected country. On Wednesday alone, December 9, Pretoria registered 6,709 new cases and 135 deaths. The number of new pollutants has risen sharply since the beginning of the month, indicating a second wave, especially in the southern part of the country, in the Cape region, but also in the south-eastern part, and the Pretoria and Johannesburg region. Unlike the first wave, it is mainly young people who are affected, mainly 15-19-year-olds. At present, there is no question of a new containment, but the authorities urge everyone to be responsible during the Christmas weekend.
West Africa, which had so far registered few patients, is also facing a rebound in new pollutants: + 45% on average between 30 November and 6 December. With record increases in places. + 194% in Burkina Faso 6 which rose from 2856 cases on 30 November to 3212 cases on 6 December – + 79% for Nigeria. In its weekly report, the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) indicates that the number of tested positive people during this period decreased from 3.9% to 6% while the number of tests performed has decreased compared to the previous week. The same echo in Senegal where we fear “a second wave”. According to Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, Minister of Health, the country went from ten new infections per day a month ago to 101 daily on 10 December. No restrictive measures have been announced at the moment, but a “zero tolerance” for wearing the mask.
In Kenya, the number of positive cases is approaching 100,000 for more than 1,500 deaths since last March. If the spread of the virus was initially very slow, the numbers have increased sharply since September last year. And yet hospitals are still far from overwhelmed. How do you explain this paradox? Parts of answers with our correspondent in Nairobi, Charlotte simonart.
Almost empty Covid units
Pandemic-safe health systems
In Senegal, as elsewhere, there is no question of revealing the already weakened health systems. Despite a quick response from the health authorities from the beginning of the pandemic in March, important services have been strained. Vaccination, the fight against malaria, reproductive health … all sectors have been affected by the pandemic.
A preliminary study by the WHO implemented in fourteen countries shows a significant reduction in the provision of five key health services – between January and September 2020 – compared to the two previous years.
Immunization campaigns against measles, tuberculosis, yellow fever, polio and other diseases have been launched in at least fifteen African countries. The introduction of new vaccines has been suspended and several countries have experienced vaccinations. When it comes to women’s health, it has deteriorated considerably. In Nigeria, for example, there were 310 maternal deaths in health facilities in August 2020, almost twice as many as in August 2019.
UNAIDS, for its part, is concerned about the threats posed by the fight against HIV. In South Africa, the experience gained in the fight against AIDS may have helped contain the coronavirus pandemic. But researchers are worried: the strict containment that began at the beginning of the year, since the measures gradually slowed down, has slowed down the goals for screening and treatment. Organizations are now trying to catch up.
Difficult access to the vaccine
The vaccine breed is in progress. And it promises to be sprayed with obstacles for the continent. The first is financial. Of the 47 countries in the WHO’s Africa region, “only almost a quarter have adequate resources and funding plans”, the UN Agency for Vaccination intends to vaccinate “3% of Africans by March 2021 and 20% by the end of next year “.
To achieve this, the continent expects a lot from the Covax initiative, launched by the WHO and Gavi (Vaccine Alliance) to ensure the global availability of vaccines. The partnership’s goal: to raise two billion doses that are then given to low-income countries and sold at favorable prices to those with moderate incomes.
Rwanda thus hopes to be one of the first African countries to receive the vaccine against Covid-19. This was said by Minister of Health Daniel Ngamije in an interview with the national television channel on Sunday. According to him, the first doses could arrive in the country around March 2021.
20% of the Rwandan population should start benefiting from it
To date, only 600 million doses have been reserved for nine laboratories, and it is estimated that 3.8 billion euros are still missing to get the remaining 1.4 billion. Covax and WHO rely on international generosity to mobilize this amount. Unfortunately, this is slowly being realized.
The exact opposite. Bilateral agreements signed directly with laboratories take precedence over fine words. At this time, the richest countries, representing 14% of the world’s population, have captured 53% of the vaccine doses promised in the short term. And regardless of whether South Africa and Kenya participate in several clinical trials, it does not guarantee them any preferential access to doses.
The next step is to address the logistical challenges. Most of the vaccines currently being developed need to be stored at -70 degrees, which is a real obstacle for countries that do not have the necessary infrastructure. To which must be added the skepticism of the population.
Distrust of the population
In a survey conducted by IRD researchers in four African countries (Cameroon, Senegal, Benin and Burkina Faso), six to seven out of ten people surveyed said they would not accept the vaccine if they received it. proposed. Alice Desclaux is an anthropologist at IRD in Dakar and participated in this study. According to her, the reasons for this refusal are several.
In South Africa, an Ipsos study shows that less than two-thirds of South Africans would be willing to accept the vaccine if it were available, mainly for fear of side effects. Some demonstrations have also taken place against the announcement of the first clinical trials, in June last year. And more recently, the head of the Supreme Court, known for his Christian convictions, even said in a prayer that vaccines were “the work of the devil.” Which weakens the confidence of the people a little more. .
