Social scientists’ views on Covid-19 in Southern Africa (13)
Africa, a relatively unscathed continent?
While it is of course too early to celebrate victory, several researchers see signs of hope in the relatively low progression of the coronavirus on the African continent and, for those most affected such as South Africa, in the capacity to manage the health crisis with some effectiveness. Analyses explaining these relative successes examine a number of possible causes in the demographic structure of the countries concerned, in their recent history (management of the Ebola crisis, for instance), in specific health factors (cross-immunity), and in the precocity of the measures taken. It remains to be seen whether these assessments will be borne out in reality in the coming months.
LISTEN :Nicolas Martin, “L’Afrique échappe-t-elle à la pandémie ?”, France Culture, 12 Mai 2020