Covid-19 number of cases lower in Africa than in Developed Countries

As reported on Statista’s website, as of February 4, 2021, the number of confirmed covid-19 cases in Africa rose to 3,634,276 million [1]. The African country most affected with more than 1.46 million infections, is South Africa [1]. When we look at developed countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom, the numbers are staggering.

In the United States of America, the number of covid-19 cases is 26.6 million with 451 thousand deaths while in the United Kingdom the number of covid-19 cases is 3.89 million with 110 deaths [2]. I mean the numbers are unbelievably high and it is no wonder scientists and others are wondering how Africa has been able to have lower numbers as oppose to Developed countries.

Do not get me wrong people have lost their lives and 3,634,276 million is a lot of people. However, human beings are fun of comparing and this situation is no different. With Africa's limited resources, hardships, and poor health care infrastructures, many are quite shocked as to how Africa has had such a low number of covid-19 cases. I have been wondering this myself and several theories come to mind.

First, our immune systems in Africa are stronger than those in developed countries. We should remember that Africa’s population is mostly filled with younger folks than old people. Due to the diseases, we have been exposed to, treatment, and vaccinations taken, our bodies have built up antibodies against some diseases already. Secondly, various governments in Africa were quick to shut down its borders, schools closed, curfews enforced and preventive measures implemented. Lastly, our diets and foods are all organic. Most of us have farms, grow and cook our foods. We use a lot of natural ingredients such as ginger, garlic, fresh herbs, and other condiments. We do not eat a lot of processed foods as most cannot afford to eat out.

These are the 3 theories that stand out to me. However, without covid-19 testing how are we sure the number of cases is low in Africa? I honestly think if our various governments implemented mandatory covid-19 testing, the numbers would be higher than what it is now. I believe a number of us here in Africa are asymptomatic and do not know it since we are not getting tested. When we compare the number of covid-19 cases from 2020 to 2021 in Africa, the numbers have gone up because the preventive measures are not being enforced.

Either way, we are still going through a pandemic and we need to continue to protect each other by respecting the preventive measures implemented.

References

1. Coronavirus cases by country in Africa 2021 | Statista. (2021). Retrieved 6 February 2021, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1170463/coronavirus-cases-in-africa/

2. WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard. (2021). Retrieved 6 February 2021, from https://covid19.who.int/table