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African Member States responded quickly to COVID-19 with public and social health (PHSM) measures, including curfews and blockades, as well as training in laboratory diagnosis, surveillance, risk communication, prevention and control of infections, and case management by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Africa (CDC Africa), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners. Implementation of these early policies helped slow the rapid spread of infection across the continent, but the response to the virus is a marathon, not a sprint. Countries must now strike a balance between reducing transmission while avoiding social and economic shocks.
“We knew that COVID-19 was a significant threat to Africa, so we began to address it very early. We convened an emergency meeting of African health ministers, which approved the Joint African Continental Strategy for COVID-19. Due to early political engagement, there was awareness and alert across the continent to prepare countries, “said Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC,”
As member states consider these complex tradeoffs, a recently released report is putting real-time data on health and public sentiment into the hands of decision-makers. The Responding to COVID-19 in Africa: Using Data to Find a Balance report includes the first data of its kind to tailor the COVID-19 pandemic response to local needs and capacities in Africa.
Using data to find a balance, developed by Africa CDC, WHO, Ipsos, the Vital Strategies Resolve to Save Lives initiative, the UK Rapid Public Health Support Team, Novetta Mission Analytics and the World Economic Forum provide data and guidance to governments as you move towards a long-term response: use data to make informed decisions, adapt local measures as public and pandemic perceptions evolve, and mitigate adverse effects by focusing on protecting populations more vulnerable.
“This report highlights the large information gaps on COVID-19 that exist in Africa and threaten response efforts,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “The results of this report, along with COVID-19 trend data, will help countries make strategic decisions to relax their blockades. What we have learned from Ebola and other outbreaks is that countries need to decentralize the response to the community level and increase their capacity to identify and diagnose cases. ”
Key findings in the report include:
A third (32%) of respondents said they do not have enough information about the coronavirus, including how it is spread and how to protect yourself;
In all countries, the vast majority believe that COVID-19 will have a great impact on their country (62%), but only 44% believe that it is a threat to them personally;
More than two-thirds (69%) of the respondents said that food and water would be a problem if they were required to stay home for 14 days, and 51% would run out of money.
Recommendations include that governments:
Strengthen public health systems for an immediate response and a lasting recovery.
Monitor data on how social and public health measures meet local conditions and needs of COVID-19; and
Engage communities to adapt PHSM to the local context and effectively communicate risks to maintain public support.
The report notes the disruptions caused by social public health measures, which are designed to stop the spread of COVID-19, and the importance of preserving well-being, economic livelihoods and social stability. Using data to strike a balance also includes recommendations for governments to prioritize rapid improvement of public health capacity to assess, track, isolate, and treat people infected with the virus, making the most of the time that early intervention with PHSM has provided.
“Governments have had to make difficult decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shelter-in-place measures can prevent infection, but can limit access to essential food and services, “said Dr. Tom Frieden, president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies. Dr. Frieden , former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, added: “By using the data, governments can strike the right balance and tailor life-saving policies to the local context.”
“Governments cannot rely on guesswork or instinct to combat COVID-19: they need data,” said Dr. Darrell Bricker, CEO, Ipsos Public Affairs. “Many preventive measures taken in other parts of the world must be adapted to the local context; We are proud to be part of this extraordinary effort to provide Africa-specific data in real time so that decision-makers can tailor their COVID-19 response based on data specific to their country. ”
“The most successful response to COVID-19 in Africa must consider context and adaptability, and must be based on data. With the release of the Using Data to Find a Balance report, governments across Africa now have access to country-specific policy recommendations and data to guide their response to COVID-19 in the most effective and responsible manner, ”he said. Dr. Nkengasong.
PERC conducted surveys in 28 cities in 20 African member states to assess the impact the crisis was already having on populations, and people’s attitudes towards PHSMs that are being implemented. The report includes a regional analysis accompanied by individual reports from each country to provide the most relevant data and recommendations to local decision makers. As the pandemic evolves, new waves of research are planned to provide real-time updates that reflect current response efforts, changes in people’s perceptions, and timely recommendations and guidance.
“By understanding the need for data to guide the response to the pandemic in Africa, the World Economic Forum is proud to have facilitated this public-private partnership,” said Arnaud Bernaert, Head of Health and Health Care at the World Economic Forum. “It is important that governments, business and civil society have the latest data and case studies available to make the best possible decisions in this global crisis.”
This report was produced by the Association for Evidence-Based Response to COVID-19 (PERC), a public-private partnership that supports evidence-based measures to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in African countries. PERC member organizations are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Africa (CDC for Africa), the World Health Organization (WHO), Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, the Rapid Support Team of Public Health of the United Kingdom and the World Economic Forum. The WHO and Africa CDC are providing technical leadership and ensuring that Member States are rapidly adopting new evidence to fine-tune their COVID-19 response interventions. Ipsos and Novetta Mission Analytics bring market research experience and years of data analysis support to the association.
To read the full report, visit: https://preventepidemics.org/coronavirus/perc/
Click here to access the report materials and a recording of the press conference.
About Africa CDC
Africa CDC is a specialized technical institution of the African Union that strengthens the capacity and capacity of African public health institutions, as well as partnerships to quickly and effectively detect and respond to disease threats and outbreaks, based on in data-driven interventions and programs. Find out more at: http://www.africacdc.org
About the World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization contributes to a better future for people everywhere. Good health lays the foundation for vibrant and productive communities, stronger economies, safer nations, and a better world. As the leading health authority within the United Nations system, our work touches the lives of people around the world every day. In Africa, WHO serves Member States and works with development partners to improve the health and well-being of all people who live here. The WHO Regional Office for Africa is located in Brazzaville, Congo. Find out more at www.afro.who.int and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
About Solve to save lives
Resolve to Save Lives is a five-year, $ 225 million initiative funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gates Philanthropy Partners, which is funded with support from the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation. Resolve received additional funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies for the COVID-19 response. It is chaired by Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And it is part of the global organization Vital Strategies. For more information, visit: https://www.resolvetosavelives.org or Twitter @ResolveTSL
Solve to save lives created a website called PreventEpidemics.org that shows how prepared each country is for an epidemic, including COVID-19, and how many flights are going in and out of infected countries. This site is also a resource for current coronavirus statistics and resources.
About vital strategies
Vital Strategies is a global health organization that believes that everyone should be protected by a robust public health system. We work with governments and civil society in 73 countries to design and implement evidence-based strategies that address their most pressing public health problems. Our goal is to see governments adopt promising interventions at scale as quickly as possible. For more information, visit www.vitalstrategies.org or Twitter @VitalStrat.
About IPSOS
Ipsos is the third largest market research company in the world, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people. Our passionate, curious research professionals, analysts, and scientists have developed unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide a true understanding and powerful insight into the actions, opinions, and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, clients, or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on raw data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques. “Game Changers”, our motto, summarizes our ambition to help our 5,000 customers navigate confidently in our rapidly changing world.
Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD). ISIN code FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS: FP https://www.ipsos.com/en/news-and-polls/overview.
About the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. In response to the COVID-19 emergency, the World Economic Forum, acting as a partner of the World Health Organization (WHO), launched the COVID Platform for Action. The platform is intended to catalyze private sector support for the global public health response to COVID-19, and to do so at the scale and speed necessary to protect lives and livelihoods, with the goal of finding ways to help end to the global emergency as soon as possible. possible. For more information, visit: https://www.weforum.org/
