The vulnerability of Africa: Which Countries are at Risk of Coronavirus?

It all started as a joke when Coronavirus hit Hubei Province in China until the virus started spreading like wildfire and claiming the lives of people in different parts of the world.

Hitherto, the number of victims infected by the coronavirus has hit new levels. The current death toll is said to be more than 2,500 with the new infections standing at around 75,000.

Human rights groups say the numbers could be higher since the Chinese government is withholding the exact count of new infections and deaths recorded in China.

Others like Microsoft Founder and Owner Bill Gates, argue that the coronavirus pandemic might hit 40 million if it is not contained in due time.

Coronavirus is very contagious and has even infected over 200 medics in China, who were attending to their patients. Who are you to be spared?

Black people say they are immune to the virus since it is only infecting Asians, Arabs, and whites. So far, the number of black people infected is very few and close to none.

If we care about our lives and our health, we should not buy the ‘black person mentality’ of being tough and immune to diseases, let us get prepared in any way possible.

African Countries at risk of contracting Coronavirus.

Speaking of the black person’s mantra that they are immune to the disease, how well are the countries in Africa prepared to fight the coronavirus in case there is an outbreak?

According to Lancet, a Medical Journal, Air Travel is one of the factors that may fuel the spread of the virus as most African countries still have flights in and out of China.

Even though flights are not allowed in and out of the Hubei Province, cases reported outside China are enough to enhance the spread of the coronavirus to other countries.

Well, let us start by looking at examples like Egypt, the first African country to report a case of the deadly Coronavirus. Air travel data revealed that Egypt’s Capital Cairo receives the most international flights from Corona-infested china. This makes Egypt the most vulnerable African Country to contract the virus.

Other countries seen as more vulnerable to contracting Coronavirus due to Air travel are Algeria, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ethiopia.

African countries like Kenya Sudan, Angola, Tanzania, and Ghana have a moderate risk of ‘importation’ of the coronavirus but their health preparedness level is a matter of concern.

The Lancet survey points out that even though the African countries have a lower risk of importation as compared to the Western countries, the countries are more vulnerable in case the Virus decides to take a tour to the Sub-Saharan region.

Lancet survey notes that 74 percent of African countries have an influenza pandemic preparedness plan, but most of these have not been updated since the 2009 H1N1 outbreak, making them very weak to fight the coronavirus.

Countries like Nigeria and South Africa could having the highest score in terms of preparedness but a lot more is needed. For example, Nigeria ranked high when it came to “international health regulations coordination capacity” but low in “laboratory capacity”, while South Africa ranked high in “laboratory capacity” but low in “risk communication”.

Less is known about the coronavirus including how to suppress it and how it is spread. WHO says the preparedness is key in fighting the continuous spread of the disease but still, countries need to invest more in their health infrastructure.

READ: Coronavirus Could Kill 10 Million People ~ Bill Gates