DUMA GQUBULE: Vaccines alone will not solve SA’s Covid problem in 2021
Our leaders have failed to look east and to African countries in responding to the pandemic
One year after SA discovered its first case of Covid-19 it has botched its public health response to the pandemic because its leaders followed the failed Western model that focuses on masks and lockdowns. They inexplicably failed to look east and to the lessons of African countries that ended Ebola in 2016 — without vaccines.
SA did not implement other pandemic control measures, including public education using community health workers, contact tracing and mass (or universal) testing. As a result, SA, with a population of 59.6-million, has had 1.5-million infections, the 16th highest in the world. There have been 50,678 deaths, the 14th highest in the world. According to the SA Medical Research Council, there had been 145,022 excess deaths by February 27 2021...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.