This article comes from the WeChat public account: New Weekly (ID: new-weekly) weekly) , author: non Yan, from the head of FIG: IC photo

The African continent, which is spread across poor countries, has no isolation wards and ICUs in most areas. The health status is extremely poor and the population is dense. Once the low-income people stop working for isolation, it is equivalent to the death penalty.

Africa in the epidemic is like a gunpowder barrel, which can be detonated with just a spark.

The cloud of the epidemic has shrouded over Africa.

In Ethiopia, the herdsmen carrying the Kalashnikov submachine gun asked the archaeologist Anna Badkhen passing by about the new crown virus.

The American scholar soon received a warning from the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia that foreigners were violently attacked in Ethiopia, and the locals believed that the foreigners brought the new crown virus.

Afflicted by Africa, hospital beds are hard to find. / Graph insect ideas

Compared with European and American countries, Africa seems to have no resistance to the new coronavirus.

Taking the Central African Republic as an example, with a population of nearly 5 million, there are only three ventilators. In Kenya with a population of over 50 million, there are only 550 intensive care beds. Many sub-Saharan African countries have very few medical staff, and some countries do not even have isolation wards.

As of April 5, 10:00 GMT, a total of 8701 new crown cases have been diagnosed in Africa. These data are not many for a continent, but they are very worrying.

Senior African public health officials pointed out on April 2 that among 54 African countries, only 5 countries have not reported cases.

outbreaks are inevitable.

In South Africa, the government ’s improper placement of wanderers has created an excellent outbreak-based stronghold: Thousands of people were uniformly accommodated in a dilapidated stadium in Pretoria, which could only sleep two or three More than a dozen people packed into the tent.

“40 days after the virus spreads, Africa ’s situation is‘ very, very close ’to Europe.”

For John Nkengasong, head of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Africa in the epidemic is like a gunpowder barrel, which can be detonated with just a spark.

At 20:44 on April 5, local time, Ethiopian Health Minister Lia Tadesse announced that the first death occurred in Ethiopia.

1. Africa is in a hurry: the more blocked, the more out of order

On February 15, Africa ’s first new coronary pneumonia (COVID-19) confirmed cases were reported, and the patient was a person who entered Egypt Foreigners are still the most frightening asymptomatic carriers.

African countries that have suffered from malaria and Ebola have been stepping up inspections of airports and ports of entry since then, and some countries have imposed border closures, city closures and night curfews.

At the end of Cape Town ’s Long Street, a billboard reads “Stay at home, stop spreading”. / wiki

Among them, South Africa ’s closure of the city is quite strict: it is forbidden to jog outdoors; it is forbidden to sell tobacco and alcohol; it is forbidden to walk the dog; it is not allowed to go out except for necessary travel, imprisonment, and heavy fines for violations of the law.

This can cause a lot of trouble for people. The curfew in Kenya has caused unnecessary traffic congestion, and many people have to lean against the wall to sleep because they ca n’t get home.

In order to enforce the curfew, the Kenyan police drove ferry passengers from the port city of Mombasa on March 27, even using batons and tear gas to force them to lie face down.

Not only does this measure not reflect the original intention of the curfew, it even caused confusion and crowding, which is likely to accelerate the development of the epidemic. Even the police responsible for eviction have very limited protective measures.

African people forced to lie down. / YouTube screenshot

South Africa has long been chaotic. The WHO report on April 1 showed that South Africa is the country with the most confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia on the African continent, with 1,353 cases.

Out of fear, some 23,000 migrant workers have left South Africa and returned to Mozambique to avoid danger. This puts a lot of pressure on the Mozambican Ministry of Health. How to find and isolate more than 20,000 people has become their biggest headache.

In sharp contrast to the severe blockade, the locals disagree. In the town of Alexandra in South Africa, even if there are army patrols, pickup trucks handing out free hand sanitizer, and publicity requires people to maintain social distance … People still walk in dirty and narrow streets and play football. There is also a lot.

Even if the blockade measures work, the nearly barren medical conditions are enough to keep African countries awake at night.

The WHO compiled the status of the medical reserves of 34 African countries and found that only half of the countries had received medical training related to new coronary pneumonia, and less than half of the countries did not even have personal protective equipment for medical personnel. (PPE) .

Cannot protect medical care