Seite - 548 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19
Bild der Seite - 548 -
Text der Seite - 548 -
VULNERABLE548
characterized by intense human traffic, close physical contact, and
payments in cash. Crowding is a central feature of the daily lives of
the majority of Africans.16 Add to those, meagre housing resources
and paucity of vital personal identification data. Despite expanded
mobile phone penetration and internet connectivity in Africa, more
than half of mobile phones have non-smart features, without internet
connectivity.17 As such, dissemination of pandemic-related informa-
tion will do well to rely on non-internet-dependent devices or apps, as
well as traditional media such as radio and television, notwithstand-
ing the limited supply of electricity to power TVs.
The above examples suffice to make the point that, to be effec-
tive, COVID-19 emergency public health measures in Africa need
to be tailored to specific contexts. Self-isolation is largely unviable,
as is mandatory self-quarantine, and contact tracing. In this situa-
tion where physical distancing is close to impossible, wearing of face
masks must be non-negotiable. But as with all behavioural prescrip-
tions, proper use of face masks requires proactive public education,
particularly for less-educated populations—another example of the
necessity of context-specific approaches.
Institutional Capacity and Therapeutic Strategy; Supporting R&D
As reflected by their low rankings in both the MPI and the Human
Development Index (HDI),18 many African nations’ institutional
capacities in the health sector are weak. Dismal physician-patient
ratios19 persist, alongside a dearth of local specialist personnel.20
Additionally, these nations lack the resources necessary to effectively
engage in the worldwide scramble for, or domestic production of,
16. See Munyaradzi Makoni, “Keeping COVID-19 at Bay in Africa” (29 April 2020),
online (pdf): The Lancet Respiratory Medicine
<https://bit.ly/3bnkStF>.
17. See Laura Silver & Courtney Johnson, “Internet Connectivity Seen as Having
a Positive Impact on Life in Sub-Saharan Africa” (2018) at 12, online (pdf): Pew
Research Centre <https://pewrsr.ch/3bm1v4q>.
18. See United Nations Development Programme, “Human Development Index
(HDI)” (last visited 11 May 2020), online: Human Development Reports <https://
bit.ly/2WlY61j>.
19. 0.25 doctors and 1.4 hospital beds per 1000 people. See Kartik Jayram et al,
“Tackling COVID-19 in Africa: An Unfolding Health and Economic Crisis That
Demands Bold Action” (April 2020) at 10, online (pdf): McKinsey & Company
<https://mck.co/2STYOAE>.
20. Such as RTI specialists, ER physicians, human virologists, environmental micro-
biologists, etc.
VULNERABLE
The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19
- Titel
- VULNERABLE
- Untertitel
- The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19
- Autoren
- Vanessa MacDonnell
- Jane Philpott
- Sophie Thériault
- Sridhar Venkatapuram
- Verlag
- Ottawa Press
- Datum
- 2020
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- ISBN
- 9780776636429
- Abmessungen
- 15.2 x 22.8 cm
- Seiten
- 648
- Kategorien
- Coronavirus
- International