Background: The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic. As of March 12, 2020, over 134,000 cases had been confirmed in more than 120 countries and territories, with major outbreaks in mainland China, Italy, South Korea, and Iran. Around 5,000 people, with about 3,200 from China, have died from the disease. More than 69,000 have recovered. While there are many studies for prevention and treatment, there is currently no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment.
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Response from the Global North leaders: Countries in the Global North and Global South such as USA, UK, Italy, France, China and South Korea, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda have responded to the coronavirus in many ways: curfews, international travel restrictions, quarantines for example closing schools, restrictions on public gatherings like postponing public events that attract bigger gatherings such as football marches, conferences, enforcing safety measures of sanitization, wearing masks and gazetting places for testing (intensified screening methods at airports, train stations etc.)
Problem statement: Both the virus and its impact on health systems, formal and informal economies, supplies of essential goods, and the steps taken to control it such as physical isolation, restricted movement, quarantine, etc. will have immediate impacts on the lives of all people, including the elderly, people living with HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, people who use drugs and other marginalized groups. The majority of the world’s HIV positive population lives in sub-Saharan Africa, and the majority of those people are women. A gendered and HIV-aware response is essential, so that emergency measures against one virus do not prompt an emergency with another.
Our specific context includes vulnerabilities such as poverty, limited health communication in vernacular language, slow work to spread clear, simple messages to contradict misconceptions such as African skin resists the virus, over congestion and over population in slums, ungazetted and porous borders, grossly overcrowded and under equipped health facilities (in terms of drugs and supplies and human resources). Implications are far reaching to some population segments for example people living with HIV and others with chronic illnesses. What are African leaders doing to make sure that drugs and supplies are available for people on drugs in the event that the pandemic ravages poor countries to minimize deaths? Additionally, if the country runs short of condoms and lubricants, the gains made in the HIV response will be eroded because this will fuel and multiply the new infections. What will happen to very low-income earners especially women in the informal sector who depend on small daily earnings, what is their future if they are quarantined without alternative options? In view of this development challenge and the possible gross consequences of inaction from African leaders towards this pandemic, ICWEA in partnership with APHA call for urgent action on the coronavirus.
Call to action to Africa leaders:
ACT NOW as though Covid-19 has already arrived. Do not repeat errors from the AIDS epidemic and equate the lack of diagnosis with a lack of cases.
- 1. COMMUNICATE CLEARLY
- Develop universal and harmonized messages on the novel coronavirus (COVID19) outbreak for the Africa continent
- 2. ACT INTERSECTIONALLY AND WITH A GENDER LENS
- Mobilize NGO and community structures immediately to redirect, expand or accelerate programs that provide income replacement activities, food parcel programs, community based education, child care
- Shift HIV service delivery modes now so that all PLHIV can immediately access 2-3 months of medication – including pregnant women who are excluded from multi-month scripting in most cases
- Work with major health programs such as PEPFAR and ART clinics to mobilize lay cadres and community health workers to pass information, support testing, self-isolation and quarantine
- Partner with sex workers and sex work groups to spread clear messages – Covid19 is transmissible via contact with bodily fluid. Income instability is linked to sex work – for many women it is the only option
- Prioritize the poorest of the poor – those without access to good health care, running water, sanitation will suffer first and most as always. Act NOW to establish taps in congested slum areas, distribution of soap and sanitizer, waivers of all medical fees for clinic visits, diagnostics and medications
- Ensure protective gear for healthcare workers, a vast majority of whom are women
- 3. ACT QUICKLY AND CALMLY
- Start physical isolation practices for sporting events, church services, wedding, funerals , conferences
- Ensure schools, hospitals, clinics have training, adequate soap, water, sanitizer, waiting areas that do not put patients in close contact; *close* facilities, with pay for staff, until these basic preventive measures can be put in place
- Subsidize mass transit in the informal sector so that drivers on congested minibus taxi routes move with half-full vehicles
- We must ensure that as countries shutdown no one is left behind without care we must ensure there is continuous income to all workers and paid leave and Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) for those not working.
- Ensure that communities are not left without assistance like providing food parcels to those who run out of food.
- Ensure that there is free testing for everyone and also provide support for healthcare workers who fall ill.
- 4. ACT IN PARTNERSHIP
- Civil society including women’s health activists, HIV activists and LGBT activists are at the forefront of community-led service delivery, communications and mobilization campaigns – use that expertise now with rapid grants to scale up communication campaigns, mutual aid programs etc
- Developing partners (Agencies) should invest in civil society to lead campaigns and demand pro-active and consistent action from African leaders on COVID-19.
- African leaders should collectively pronounce themselves on the actions being done to manage and control the pandemic in the African region.
- African leaders should move faster on quarantine, travel bans, isolation of affected people, banning mass gatherings, closing schools among others to minimize the possible negative consequences that are very costly to reverse given the poor economies.
- African leaders should pronounce themselves on the vulnerable populations who are likely to be more and at risk should the virus ravage the continent.
