International health experts have made it clear that the challenge to be faced by developing countries in tackling COVID-19 will be of a different order of magnitude to rich-world nations. Poverty, poor sanitation, an existing disease burden, overstretched health systems and extreme urban population density mean that the pandemic could explode in poor countries in an even more catastrophic way than has been seen elsewhere thus far.
Yet, says a Daily Maverick report, based on the announcements by the government over the past two days, South Africa appears to be following most of what is now accepted as international best practice for tackling the pandemic. Experts are clear that acting before case numbers increase rapidly is absolutely key to flattening the epidemiological curve.
The report says with less than 100 cases and 0 mortalities thus far, South Africa’s decisive action now could prevent a more disastrous outbreak. Although its measures are hardly ahead of the curve, time-wise, it can be argued that it is still in front of the likes of the UK – which has yet to introduce firm policies on mass gatherings amid flip-flopping on its controversial approach of “herd immunity”.
The report says Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has made the point that South Africa also has to act quickly because of the already overburdened nature of its health system. South Africa’s ability to test at scale remains a concern, but the government has indicated that ramping up testing is now a priority. Mkhize said that public and private laboratory services are being urged to work together to speed up the process.
In South Africa, Mkhize has rightly indicated that it is imperative to expand the capacity of the country’s contract tracing teams, with such tracing needing to be undertaken within 48 hours. The efficacy of South Africa’s contract tracing is yet to be fully determined. Justice Minister Ronald Lamola indicated, however, that government is already able to access useful information – including lists from airlines of passengers on a particular flight.
The report says effective communication has been accepted as vital to COVID-19 containment efforts – and its converse has been revealed to have potentially disastrous effects. The South African government has acted swiftly to set up a number of communications outlets, including several hotlines and a dedicated WhatsApp information service. Also, the report says, Ramaphosa announced on Sunday that government will be rolling out a mass communication campaign to educate the public. Time is of the essence.
[link url="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-03-17-how-does-sas-covid-19-approach-compare-to-international-best-practice/"]Full Daily Maverick report[/link]