COVID-19 Spreads in Africa... Concerns Arise Over Poor Healthcare System

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is spreading across the African continent. Unlike other continents, Africa had experienced a slower spread of COVID-19, but this month, the number of infections has been increasing.

According to Bloomberg News and others on the 14th (local time), Namibia, Rwanda, and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) reported their first confirmed COVID-19 cases. Currently, at least 21 countries have reported outbreaks of COVID-19.

Most of the confirmed cases in Africa have been traced to travel history in Europe. The COVID-19, which originated in China, rapidly spread in Europe recently and is now moving into Africa. This has raised concerns among experts. Many African countries have poor healthcare systems, and if infectious diseases surge, medical institutions may not be able to respond adequately.

Africa is the second most populous continent in the world, accounting for 16% of the global population. However, healthcare spending accounts for only 1% of the world's total. Treating COVID-19 requires life-support devices such as oxygen respirators, but Africa's economic situation is challenging.

Bloomberg News forecasts that to continue responding to the COVID-19 crisis, resources that should be used to combat malaria and the HIV virus, which claim hundreds of thousands of lives annually, will inevitably have to be diverted.

Accordingly, governments of countries with COVID-19 outbreaks are striving to devise countermeasures. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa convened an emergency cabinet meeting on the holiday of the 15th. South Africa brought back more than 100 of its citizens from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of COVID-19, by chartered flight. They were quarantined at a resort under military protection.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.