Sporadic testing and the dominance of other long-term issues, such as malnutrition and clean water, could leave Africa's story of how it faced Covid-19 untold, a senior charity worker said.
Patrick Youssef, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Africa director, said dealing with the daily challenges of delivering existing immunisation programmes in remote conflict areas overshadowed understanding the health impact of Covid-19.
Speaking on the opening day of the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference & Exhibition (DIHAD), Mr Youssef warned against the “massive” socio-economic impact the virus would have on the continent in the years to come.
In some parts of the continent acute malnutrition is more of a concern
“Africa may have been hit less than other continents, although there have been several waves of contagion in some countries, the socio-economic impact and resulting psychological burden will be massive,” he said.
“Field operatives not only have to deal with Covid-19, but also a multitude of ongoing issues like malaria, malnutrition and other health problems like ebola and polio.
“The African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention openly speaks about a lack of testing facilities.
“They are mainly confined to urban settings which will never reach more remote parts where there are huge displaced populations living far from cities.
“We need to be aware we do not know much about the impact of Covid-19 on Africa.
“We have little information on related morbidities outside of places with established medical infrastructure for testing.”
Most testing for coronavirus in Africa is focused on just a handful of nations.
In 2020, the African CDC said 10 countries accounted for around 80 per cent of new Covid-19 testing, giving a skewed reflection of how the vast continent had been impacted by the virus.
While some governments were either too poor or too ravaged by conflict to complete widespread testing, others were wary of sharing data that could expose fault lines in health systems.
At the height of the pandemic, the majority of testing was confined to just Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Ethiopia and Mauritius.
As of March 8, Africa reported 4,003,008 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in a population of more than 1.2 billion, accounting for just 3.4 per cent of total global infections.
South Africa has been the most impacted nation in the continent with 1.53 million cases discovered from 9.45 million PCR tests.
“In Africa, the discipline of using personal protective equipment and its availability is not like elsewhere,” said Mr Youssef, who recently visited the Central African Republic, Ethiopia and Mozambique.
“Countries like Kenya and Rwanda have real discipline, thanks to good governance that can lead to an alert to protect people ahead of a third wave of infection, like we have recently seen in Kenya.
“That is not the case elsewhere.
"In Libya, there was a recent announcement of 300,000 vaccines arriving in April, but the surge of cases was not as expected due to a lack of testing capability and other competing problems.
“Covid is one of several priorities in Africa, so it does not ring as big an alarm bell as it has done elsewhere.
“In some parts of the continent, acute malnutrition is more of a concern.”
The role of the ICRC is to support organisations on the frontline of preventive measures and health facilities with PCR testing programmes.
They also ensure those in areas controlled by armed groups - some 60 million people - have equal access to vaccines when they become available.
The ICRC plays an intermediary role in the field with armed groups to create a safe platform for other populations to benefit from healthcare.
In a time of unprecedented mass global immunisation, Mr Youssef said the ICRC is continuing to support ongoing vaccination programmes for other deadly diseases.
“These have been disrupted massively during the pandemic,” he said.
“When we went to Mozambique and the CAR, other vaccination programmes like polio, were first on the discussion programme ahead of Covid.
“Without access to vaccines in the capital cities and urban areas, these states cannot function.
“Our own worry is that those physically unable to socially distance in areas of detention and in refugee camps are hugely vulnerable and endangers the work of the ICRC.”
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
SPEC SHEET
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CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Second Test, Day 2:
South Africa 335 & 75/1 (22.0 ov)
England 205
South Africa lead by 205 runs with 9 wickets remaining
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
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Brief scores:
Scotland 371-5, 50 overs (C MacLeod 140 no, K Coetzer 58, G Munsey 55)
England 365 all out, 48.5 overs (J Bairstow 105, A Hales 52; M Watt 3-55)
Result: Scotland won by six runs
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The biog
Name: Ayisha Abdulrahman Gareb
Age: 57
From: Kalba
Occupation: Mukrema, though she washes bodies without charge
Favourite things to do: Visiting patients at the hospital and give them the support they need.
Role model: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog
Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
