African experts reflect on 2 years of COVID-19 response

On 11 March 2020, simply months after the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was first recognized in China, the World Well being Group declared COVID-19 to be a public well being emergency of worldwide concern. Over the subsequent two years COVID-19 would go on to contaminate almost half a billion folks, killing over 6 million around the globe. Governments launched strict lockdowns with stay-at-home orders that shut down the worldwide economic system. Now, many of the world is opening up. The Dialog Africa spoke to public well being consultants based mostly in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa to get their tackle the largest classes up to now. The themes that recur are about breaking down boundaries: sharing, speaking, and valuing folks equally.

Early days

Catherine Kyobutungi, Kenya: After the primary few circumstances have been confirmed, most international locations adopted an analogous script. This concerned lockdowns, social distancing and hand hygiene. A number of months later, variations began rising between international locations. There are international locations like Uganda and Rwanda that took a extra public well being strategy, specializing in making an attempt to cease an infection in any respect prices. And people, like Kenya, that took a extra financial strategy, specializing in minimising the impact of lockdowns. After all Tanzania was in a league of its personal when it stopped all public well being measures that have been really helpful on the time.

As soon as variations emerged, they have been fairly stark and infrequently led to misunderstandings between international locations. For example, whereas Uganda and Rwanda have been testing all arrivals at their land borders (largely truck drivers), for a number of weeks, Kenya and Tanzania weren’t.

These variations are a symptom of a bigger difficulty: the close to absence of a harmonised regional pandemic response. This was a world pandemic. However international locations crafted particular person responses – even in conditions the place a regional strategy would have been extra acceptable.

Michelle Groome, South Africa The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the significance of offering up-to-date information in addition to nationwide and international information sharing. When SARS-CoV-2 first appeared, we didn’t have lots of information on which to base medical and public well being choices. This led to worry, uncertainty and choices which couldn’t initially be pushed by science. Because the pandemic unfolded, an increasing number of information turned accessible and this made decision-making simpler, with dependable scientific information to again up these choices.

I feel there may be nonetheless room for enchancment in terms of critically assessing public well being measures and their profit in real-time. Some measures launched early on within the pandemic, for instance temperature screening, didn’t show to be efficient in detecting infections, but are nonetheless getting used as a part of the response.

International nature of the pandemic

Catherine Kyobutungi, Kenya The worldwide energy system was unshakable within the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Nations retreated inwards and even after they had an higher hand over the pandemic inside their borders, they have been unwilling to look outwards and handle the pandemic from a world perspective.

Regardless of intense strain from civil society, many wealthy international locations rebuffed all requests for short-term mental property waivers and voluntary expertise switch that may unlock vaccine manufacturing in additional amenities and areas of the world. Moderately than decisively handle vaccine provide points that may have enabled everybody to be vaccinated shortly, these wealthy international locations have been extra involved about sustaining the established order –- about who has energy, who has affect, who donates, who receives, who’s benevolent and who’s the recipient of benevolence.

The truth that two years into the pandemic, the North-South disparities and unequal energy buildings in international well being are nonetheless intact is a big trigger for concern. This unequal system has did not adequately cope with the present pandemic and can battle to cope with future pandemics and different international challenges like local weather change.

Michelle Groome, South Africa The advantages of world information sharing turned evident by this pandemic. instance of this was the early information on severity of the omicron variant that South Africa supplied in direction of the tip of 2021. This was one of many busiest instances of my life, as we battled a fourth wave of infections in South Africa whereas fielding innumerable questions from throughout the globe on how the omicron wave was unfolding in our nation. Our scientists have been in a position to actively interact with the WHO, public well being establishments in lots of international locations and worldwide media retailers, which enabled information to be shared shortly and assisted with the omicron response in different international locations. Lack of knowledge sharing can actually hamper the flexibility to supply strong information for motion.

Communication gaps

Catherine Kyobutungi, Kenya Public well being communication failed. Even within the face of an assault of misinformation and disinformation, authorities communicators caught to outdated strategies of speaking well being messages. Because of this, misinformation took maintain and it turned tough to persuade the general public about why sure measures have been necessary and what everybody wanted to do.

The sudden avalanche of all types of knowledge created an atmosphere the place complicated ideas and data which have historically been the protect of teachers and different consultants turned widespread place and therefore open for gross misinterpretation. Public well being communicators did not adequately reply to this problem.

In addition they did not adequately talk easy info like the place folks might get examined, vaccinated and report vaccine unintended effects. Many individuals who have been prepared to be vaccinated needed to hunt for info on the place to get the jab. It simply exhibits how rather more we have to do as a neighborhood of public well being practitioners to speak successfully now and in future.

Michelle Groome, South Africa The COVID-19 pandemic has additionally underscored the necessity for transparency – on a world and native stage, and in coping with teachers, well being professionals and the general public. Scientific terminology and outputs are now not restricted to scientists and teachers, however are available to most of the people. Nonetheless, misinformation and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 can find yourself dominating.

As scientists we have to make sure that information is shared in a means that’s simply comprehensible, that epidemiological phrases are accurately interpreted and that the rationale behind public well being choices is clarified. Lack of transparency and misinformation have led to lack of public belief in authorities choices and non-acceptance of public well being interventions. Scientists, well being professionals and politicians additionally must acknowledge uncertainty when this exists and shortly handle any misconceptions with the intention to guarantee credibility and belief.

Takeaways

Catherine Kyobutungi, Kenya Nations acted quick and most African international locations relied on WHO steering. That is steering produced by giant groups of consultants. Since African international locations don’t all the time have such a variety of consultants, they relied on superb steering after which used their very own consultants to adapt and refine it.

Doyin Odubanjo, Nigeria The well being workforce in Nigeria, and certainly Africa, must be seen as vital to nationwide growth. Higher methods for retaining them should be carried out. There should be higher welfare packages for well being staff. Even international locations with higher well being workforce to inhabitants ratios have been readily overwhelmed and can now replenish or strengthen their well being methods by drawing on the undervalued workforce of locations like Africa. We should information in opposition to this.

It’s time to construct strategically, construct sturdy methods that additionally engender belief from the populace.

Catherine Kyobutungi, Government Director, African Inhabitants and Well being Analysis Heart; Doyin Odubanjo, Government Secretary, Nigerian Academy of Science, and Michelle J. Groome, Head of the Division of Public Well being Surveillance and Response, Nationwide Institute for Communicable Illnesses

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