“COVAX has to succeed. It is essential for the lowest-income countries, which lack the purchasing power that comes with economies of scale. A pandemic must be managed at a global scale. “
“A suitable combination of non-pharmaceutical interventions is necessary to curb the spread of the virus. Less disruptive and costly interventions can be as effective as more intrusive, drastic, ones (for example, a national lockdown). Using country-specific ‘what-if’ scenarios, we assess how the effectiveness of interventions depends on the local context.”
“Since Nigeria confirmed its first case of the disease on 27 February, microbiologist Christian Happi’s team has been working in staggered shifts in his laboratory. They receive human-tissue samples from states in Nigeria, and then test them for traces of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease.”
“African countries are used to widespread testing for pathogens such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. This expertise can easily be adapted for SARS-CoV-2 testing. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention… held the first of its training sessions in early February. By mid-March, 43 countries had gained competence to test for the virus – if appropriate reagents were accessible. But they are not.”
“As leader of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu works to protect the nation — and the world — from devastating outbreaks… Many argue that the best hope of mitigating such a catastrophe will come from the capacity of African nations to catch outbreaks early and stem their spread. Ihekweazu had written about this necessity long before it was in vogue — but he never imagined leading the effort himself.”
“Africa’s ambitious plans to establish free trade and travel across the continent will increase movement even more. Although economically advantageous, these plans could set the stage for HIV, Ebola, pandemic influenza, chikungunya, plague, Lassa fever and antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections to spread farther and faster.”
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