The Africa Center for Strategic Studies has undertaken a series of analyses tracking the spread of COVID-19 across Africa, examining key risk factors, urban landscapes, and vulnerable populations that shape the virus’s transmission as well as the social, political, and security implications for the continent:
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Coronavirus Spreads through Africa
The coronavirus pandemic has spread rapidly since it arrived in Africa. This time series analysis tracks the logarithmic dissemination of COVID-19 across the continent.
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Analyzing Africa’s Second Wave of COVID-19
2020 saw COVID-19 infect over 2.7 million Africans and kill over 65,000. A surge of cases in the last quarter of the year, combined with the emergence of more contagious mutations, pose new challenges for Africa in 2021.
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Africa’s Varied COVID Landscapes
There is not a single African COVID-19 trajectory, but rather multiple, distinct risk profiles. Recognizing this can facilitate a better understanding of and response to the pandemic threat in Africa.
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Lessons from the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu Pandemic in Africa
Despite important differences, colonial Africa’s experience confronting the Spanish flu of a century ago provides historical lessons for the COVID-19 response today.
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African Adaptations to the COVID-19 Response
Presidential task forces, staggered mobility, support for the most vulnerable, and local innovations mark Africa’s adaptive response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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Innovations Needed to Prevent COVID-19 from Catching Fire in Africa’s Cities
With urban population densities and poverty rates among the world’s highest, innovative measures will be needed to prevent African cities from becoming hotspots of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Mapping Risk Factors for the Spread of COVID-19 in Africa
African countries face varying levels of risk that will require adapting a diversified set of response strategies to the coronavirus. The most vulnerable countries may not be those with the earliest onset.
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Managing Health and Economic Priorities as the COVID-19 Pandemic Spreads in Africa
The coronavirus is placing severe strains on Africa’s health, economic, and security sectors. Mitigation and suppression efforts will require a comprehensive government response built on clear communications and public trust.
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Five Myths about Coronavirus in Africa
The spread of the coronavirus in Africa has been accompanied by pervasive misinformation. Fact-checking and ongoing public service communications by all actors are needed to curb the costs of these myths.
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COVID-19 and Africa’s Displacement Crisis
The spread of the coronavirus in Africa is intersecting with the continent’s population displacement crisis. Protecting displaced persons and migrants will be key to reducing the overall rates of transmission.
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What the Coronavirus Means for Africa
Given its fragile public health systems and close ties to China, Africa is vulnerable to the spread of the coronavirus, highlighting the continent’s centrality to global health security.