Since the first Corona-the case in Africa, the pandemic hangs like a sword of Damocles over the continent. The wave of Infection will hit Africa harder than any other Region, it said in the beginning. The health systems are weak, the governments arm. But months later, many of the assumptions have not proved to be true. States, are hard and determined against Corona and the Virus spreads relatively slowly - at the same time, the economic and social consequences of the measures are in many places bad. Always clear Corona in Africa: that is not to be compared with the Situation elsewhere. It takes its own way.

Coronavirus reached the continent later than in other regions

In comparison to the rest of the world, Africa has only a few Corona cases - yet at least. So far were recorded at 1.3 billion people, approximately 240 000 infections. In Germany so far, about 190 000 cases were recorded. A quarter of all in Africa, reported cases in South Africa, followed by Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana. Egypt has cases most of the recorded deaths, around 1575. Some States have - at least according to official statistics - still very few cases, such as Lesotho, with only four positive Tests. The Seychelles have seen since weeks no new cases.

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Africa, and the initial happiness: The Coronavirus arrived on the continent later than in other regions. "This has given us time to prepare," says Ahmed Ouma, the Deputy head of the African health organization Africa CDC. Most of the States have imposed very quick, very strict measures: Kenya castle, only a few cases, schools and universities, and stopped the international air traffic. South Africa imposed one of the toughest lock-downs worldwide, including the prohibition of alcohol sale and Jogging. Uganda has made schools before the first case was confirmed. All of this helped probably. The citizens of Africa are less mobile than the other regions, what's slowing down the pandemic.

African countries are loosening Corona-measures increasingly

And Africa has another major advantage: young population. The average age of the people on the continent is just under 20 - in Germany it is 46. There are a lot fewer older people, which can be difficult to develop Covid-19. This is from the point of view of experts is crucial. "Most of the people who are yet ill with the Coronavirus, have a mild course of the disease," says Richard Mihigo, a leader in the Corona-control in the WHO Africa.

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can has made Corona so far, comparatively slow to take effect. But that is now changing: "the speed of propagation is always faster," says Mihigo. Because in the past few weeks, many African countries have begun to loosen their Corona-measures. You also need to: the economic consequences of The restrictions are devastating.

Africa: The economic life must continue to

go "In Africa estimates that each month of a hard lock downs for a loss of 2.5 percent of gross domestic product", Adrian Gauci of the UN economic Commission for Africa (Uneca). For many people of Africa, lock downs, existence-threatening. An estimated 80 percent of the citizens work in the informal economy, you can not move to the home office. Four-fifths of the inhabitants of Slums in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, reported, according to a study by the Population Council that you have lost due to the Corona-crisis your content fully or partially.

Thus, African countries have little choice: The economic life must go on. To stem the pandemic still, Testing is essential - but this is one of the biggest challenges. "We don't test enough," says Africa-CDC-Vice-Ouma. Most of the countries do not come on the global market to enough test kits ran and also have sufficient laboratory capacity. Germany is currently about 56 Tests per 1000 citizens, in South Africa there are almost 19, in Kenya only 2.2 and in Nigeria 0.46 as Figures show the University of Oxford.

However, some countries are striving hard to improve the. Nigeria, with its nearly 200 million inhabitants, had initially only two laboratories were able to test to Sars-CoV-2, now 33, as Adaeze Oreh, a high-ranking employee of the Ministry, explains. Many countries have now called an existing System for Testing on HIV and tuberculosis - GeneXpert for Corona Tests converted. With the automated platform, some countries could now perform 3000 to 5000 Tests a day, explains WHO staff Mihigo. "This changes everything."

Africa relies on community approach

in the Meantime, many governments are recognising that Africa must - and can - in the fight against the Corona, with the crisis in his own way. The citizens must continue to be able to go to work. Even if the health systems in China, Italy, or Germany can take tens of thousands of Corona patients. And most of the citizens can not isolate itself, as the least amount of space enough for all of this.

African countries are increasingly relying on strong community structures in the neighborhoods and villages. Trained community leaders and volunteers to recognize in the people around her in the early Covid-19 symptoms. If Sufferers do not can work at home and isolate, is to be established in the municipality of a quarantine centre. Nigeria, for example, is to this strategy.

When the fight against the Coronavirus "is properly decentralized, then the hospitals will not be flooded", is Oreh convinced. And economic activities would hardly be disturbed. The System has already proved successful several times, such as in the case of Ebola. Africa-CDC-Deputy Ouma is in this area, also in Corona safe: "A community approach will work in Africa." Tarte - flash recipe: the fast Alternative to the classic PCP's Flammkuchen - the flash recipe: the fast Alternative to the classic

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Date Of Update: 16 June 2020, 19:26