For Africa, COVID-19’s Economic Impact Will Be More Deadly Than the Virus

MIN READSep 30, 2021 | 22:06 GMT

A woman receives a jab of a COVID-19 vaccine in Durban, South Africa, on Sept. 24, 2021.

(RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images)

The COVID-19 pandemic’s unique development in Africa suggests the Continent will be dealing with the repercussions of the virus for years to come -- diverting resources from long-standing health, education and infrastructure issues. Africa is not a monolith, and each region, country and province has had a unique battle with COVID-19. That said, the Continent has stood out from the rest of the world in its overall low infection rates, lax lockdown measures and low percentage of vaccinated citizens. Although a relative lack of global connectivity may explain low infection and death rates, health officials say a number of factors could also be related. Many of Africa’s largest and poorest countries are lagging the furthest behind global COVID-19 targets, generally due to vaccine shortages, although distribution problems, health supplies funding and vaccine hesitancy are also to blame.  ...