Covid-19’s dark cloud has silver linings for sub-Saharan Africa
Despite the gloom, there are opportunities for governance reforms in the region
Covid-19, and the world’s responses, portend a perfect storm for sub-Saharan African countries. As The Economist noted, we have about one doctor for every 5,000 people, compared with one per 300 in Europe. The average US hospital has more intensive care beds than most African countries.
Consequently, health systems are likely to be easily overwhelmed if R (the reproductive rate of the virus, starting at 0) begins to climb exponentially, a scenario from which the continent appears to have been spared so far. Simultaneously, the lockdown cure risks being no cure at all, and potentially worse than the disease itself...
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