The impact of the pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa remains markedly lower compared to the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Several factors were discussed for this decrease including age demographics, lack of long-term care facilities, potential cross-protection from previous exposure to circulating coronaviruses, limitations of SARS-CoV-2 testing which may have resulted in an undercounting of deaths, and effective government public health responses, according to a research paper.
But the factors involved in the study have raised serious questions in the minds of people who are against lockdown, vaccine mandates and other mandates that governments and public health agencies are pushing. On being anonymous one doctor said that there are many questions for each factor but let us discuss it in simple terms one by one and the solutions are applicable anywhere else in the world.
Age: If young age of 18 or less is better for not having infection like in Africa then there is no need of vaccinating children in the age group 5-18.
Lack of long-term care facilities: The paper showed that long-term care facilities pose significant risks for infectious diseases. In sub-Saharan Africa, provision of care is mostly left to families. This limits the number of formal caregivers and thus reduces the chance of transmission. This proved that people in Africa are recovering from infection on their own but not by medical interventions so people in other continents can do so.
Cross-protection from previous exposure to circulating coronaviruses: By now more than 90% of population in any major country is exposed to coronavirus, thus if Africans have the natural immunity then other people would also experience the same which in turn suggest for no vaccination of already exposed individual.
limitations of SARS-CoV-2 testing: This can be a major reason for less reporting of number of cases but as many of us question about the false positive it can be a another reason of high reporting of number of cases in other countries where testing is done in vast population.
After discussing the points presented in paper the doctor suggested why Africa has got huge count recently
1. Vaccine selling: We have seen that how pharma companies are profiteering from the pandemic. We also know that Africa is a developing country with low per capita so people are not able to pay for vaccination but since GAVI and other alliances have promised vaccine equity, they are bound to supply the Africans with vaccine that should come from COVID vaccine manufacturers which got huge fundings from alliances for vaccine development and manufacturing but they have not kept their promise of supplying vaccine for COVAX facility supporting vaccine equity. Recently WHO Director called it a COVID Scandal.
2. Answer to Anti COVID groups: Many people including researchers analyzed that Africans have low COVID infections and soon after cases begin to rise. Since this is a media pandemic where data transparency is far from reach we cannot believe if the data from Africa is coming out right or tailor made.
Lockdowns, force vaccination and other mandates have made people furious and starting again with this Omicron will only increase the frustration among people which is directly responsible for long term neurological damages. The health agencies should publicize the data so that people would understand that how this virus do not spread in political and leaders’ gathering without masks and other measures but affect common people who have to struggle hard for their bread and butter.
Sources:
1. https://qz.com/africa/2049407/why-has-covid-19-had-less-of-an-impact-in-africa/
2. https://science.thewire.in/health/covid-19-africa-lower-impact-possible-reasons/
3. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/astmh/95796?s=03
