At the time of going to press, Africa’s total confirmed cases of the coronavirus hovered above 600,000 with about 14,000 deaths and over 332,000 recoveries.
Statistically, these numbers make Africa the safest continent on the planet. However, the general statistical picture also gives a false sense of security and hope to many people.
Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa who have confirmed the most cases on the continent, have alarming infection rates.
Ghana, for instance, which recorded its first case on March 12, has now seen over 26,000 cases in mid-July. This represents a daily infection rate of about 1.6 if one adjusts for the mainly at-risk urban population of about 15 million inhabitants.
But this infection rate figure only carries theoretical worth since the Ghana Health Service and Ministry of Health have not communicated the government’s actual perception of the country’s infection rate.
The inconsistency and incoherence in communicating information to the populace is not a problem unique to Ghana’s government. In the four aforementioned countries whose cases comprise two-thirds of the entire continent’s COVID-19 numbers, citizens have lamented over inefficiencies in managing the coronavirus.
But as warned by the African Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, these inefficiencies would only aid a worsening situation. Experts around the world fear that a majority of African countries may not be able to manage a very bad situation.
So, what are the worst possible scenarios for Africans if the coronavirus continue to spike?
