COVID-19 in Africa: half a year later
The Lancet "With the number of COVID-19 cases decreasing across the continent, it is time to reflect on the first months of the pandemic in Africa. Munyaradzi Makoni reports.
In February 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in Africa. Borders were closed, confirmed cases quarantined, and curfews imposed early, which helped countries to slow down the spread of the virus. A slow rise in cases compared with other parts of the world resulted, highlighting Africa's weak health systems, fragile infrastructure, inadequate availability of trained personnel, and poor access to medical supplies and equipment." (Photo by 2Photo Pots on Unsplash)
Increased domestic financing and efficiency of health expenditure necessary amid COVID-19 in Africa
www.aidspan.org "In a virtual meeting convened by the African Union on 8 and 9 October 2020, health and finance ministers from east and southern Africa discussed how to sustain Africa’s earlier health gains in the face of COVID-19. They agreed on the dual importance of raising domestic resources for health and improving the management of available resources. The stance is summarized as “more money for health and more health for money.” Strong leadership and social protection for the most vulnerable are the two other additional levers to “build back” after the COVID-19 crisis. Peter Sands, the Executive Director of the Global Fund and Donald Kaberuka, the Chairman of the Global Fund Board, as well as representatives of multilateral organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), GAVI (the Vaccine Alliance), and the World Bank addressed the participants and emphasized different aspects of those four levers." (Photo: Pictures of Money/flickr/CC BY 2.0)