Since the first traveler brought the virus from Europe, the spread of Covid-19 has occurred at a slower than expected rate through Africa. Heeding advanced warnings from China (and having the image of Italy and Spain before them, African countries reacted quickly and implemented lock-downs early. The benefit of that early intervention is now coming up against the reality of the lack of infrastructure in depth, with the result that the situation is about to quickly change for the worse.
The most recent notable developments (not all negative) include:
Hospitals in a South African province are on verge of being overrun. The second hospital in the city of Port Elizabeth — after the Livingstone Hospital three weeks ago — is expected to be overrun by the virus. “We are perishing in our silos,” said Nelson Mandela University Dept of Health Sciences Professor Lungile Pepeta. “Some private hospitals are full and others are filling up.... The state hospitals will be full soon. In 10 days we are going to need maybe 100 ICU beds in the metro.”
