Editor's Note:
Tony Blair was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. The views expressed in this comment are his.
You can read more opinion pieces at cnne.com/opinion.
(CNN) -
It is now widely recognized that the Covid-19 pandemic in Africa is on a different trajectory than much of the rest of the world, including the West.
While relatively low levels of evidence make it difficult to see the big picture, death rates have been significantly lower.
Health systems, although sometimes under pressure, have not been overwhelmed.
And the latest serological studies suggest that, while infection rates in Africa have been high, much of these infections have been asymptomatic.
Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, the increase in cases and the imminent threat of a second wave have made countries in Europe and Asia move towards new restrictions and partial closures.
There are multiple hypotheses as to why and how Africa has escaped the worst predictions.
They range from the demographics of a young population to the climate and potential resistance due to exposure to other strains of covid.
On a diverse continent, the true answer is likely to be a combination of factors.
But we lack sufficient scientific evidence at this stage to reach final conclusions.
However, if Africa has escaped the worst of the pandemic in terms of health, the same cannot be said for the economic impact of covid-19.
In this area the collateral damage has been enormous.
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The economic impact of the coronavirus in Africa
Foreign direct investment decreased by 40%.
Some 30 million jobs are expected to be lost.
And up to 49 million more Africans could be pushed into extreme poverty by losing their livelihoods in the informal sector, where they work as street vendors, taxi drivers, and in other similar tasks. Disruptions in health services and supplies are also expected. due to covid-19 health outcomes worsen in general terms.
Deaths from HIV, tuberculosis and malaria could increase by about half a million people.
As countries reopen, there is an urgent need to assess the magnitude of collateral damage caused by closures, both within Africa and globally.
This must be done so that leaders can make the best decisions about how to rebuild their countries' economies.
While doing that, African leaders must maintain their commitment to contain COVID-19 by continuing with testing and isolations.
Here, the West should show some humility and acknowledge that while the full set of factors driving Africa's lower mortality will not be known for a while, its systems, institutions and leaders have, in many cases, made a difference. review.
Africa's fight against coronavirus
After its first confirmed case, the average country in sub-Saharan Africa imposed stricter containment measures and did so faster than the average country in the European Union and the United States.
Most African countries have also adopted comprehensive contact tracing policies.
Some, like Sierra Leone, have even supervised the isolation of all contacts, regardless of whether they are symptomatic, for 14 days after exposure.
African governments created and adjusted contact tracing and isolation policies that are tailored to their contexts and cultures.
And they applied a key lesson from past battles against Ebola and other diseases about the importance of ensuring community buy-in and buy-in to action.
While this has not been done perfectly, many African governments have been far more successful in ensuring the isolation of high-risk contacts than other governments, including the UK.
Unfortunately, despite lower case numbers and, in many cases, stricter control measures than other countries on the safe travel lists of Europe or the UK, African countries have paid the price of disconnecting from the rest of the world.
The majority of its population is being unfairly treated as a single risky entity.
The restrictions affecting the continent
EU countries and the UK have established 14-day quarantines and other medical travel restrictions for all passengers arriving from Africa.
This with the exception of Rwanda (which is on the EU safe travel list).
And also from the Seychelles and Mauritius, which have safe travel corridors with the UK.
(The United States does not have a common national perspective for quarantines, and the situation is less clear there.)
African economies are highly dependent on world trade and travel, whether for the import of essential goods, the implementation of critical infrastructure and relief projects, or for tourism and business travel.
As a result, these measures run the risk of exacerbating the economic damage that their countries have already suffered.
Although Africa's GDP is not expected to fall as much as that of other advanced economies, its rapid population growth, large informal employment sector, inability of governments to boost economic activity by increasing state spending, and weak social welfare systems they mean that its population - especially the poor - will suffer a greater impact.
This could undo the development progress of a decade.
Reconnecting with the world and recovering financially will require verifiable proof of vaccination or negative tests.
It will mean ensuring equity in the development and distribution of vaccines.
The COVAX initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is working to ensure that African countries can have access to vaccines.
The West needs to reformulate its relationship with Africa
In addition, the current model of supplying Africa with vaccines produced elsewhere should be reconsidered.
African leaders must have a role in the development of new vaccines.
They must be involved in the manufacture of vaccines and be able to implement the appropriate vaccination strategies for their population.
The climatic and geological characteristics of places like Africa and Asia mean that they are more likely to be a source of new viral species.
So investing in vaccine research and manufacturing in these places builds resilience for everyone, not just those continents.
I have long argued that the West needs to reformulate its relationship with Africa.
It must move from an extractive trade and aid relationship, in which the West largely dictates the terms, to a partnership.
This partnership should be based on developing African nations in areas such as trade and investment.
In areas that add value and create jobs locally, and that enhance the security of Africa.
This rethinking may be one of the positive results of the pandemic.
We should establish that relationship now, in the fight against COVID-19, drawing on the experience, resources and energy of African countries as valuable partners, not mere beneficiaries.
And ensure that the continent is not left behind as the world reopens.
By doing so, we would not only bring the pandemic to a more rapid and complete conclusion.
We would also lay the foundations for a safer and more prosperous world.
coronaviruscovid-19Tony Blair