Article

Thanks to a generous gift from Schmidt-Futures, Wilmot James (ISERP Senior Research Scholar, Ctr. for Pandemic Research Interim Chair) and co-authors Amanda McClelland (Resolve to Save Lives, Vital Strategies), Lawrence R. Stanberry (Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons), Lewis Rubin Thompson (ISERP and Vagelos College), and Lyal White (Brenthurst Foundation and University of Johannesburg), have conducted a study of COVID-19 response in 5 countries across the African continent.

These findings are presented by World Health Organization Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the Futures Forum for Preparedness, hosted by Schmidt-Futures and the Social Science Research Council on January 12-13, 2021.

View and download the full study PDF here.

This study's findings are also featured in a synthesis paper, Learning from COVID-19: A 23-Nation Comparative Study of COVID-19 Response, with Lessons for the Future of Public Health.

Core Findings

Multilateral Coordination: Many African countries benefited early in the pandemic from swift action by central governments to reduce the spread of COVID-19, enabled in part by recent multilateral coordination and capacity-building efforts to stem the flow of Ebola and other diseases. Institutions such as the Africa CDC provide a model for more effective multilateral cooperation in crisis via a continent-wide health governance structure. Looking ahead, the Africa CDC may consider setting up regional branches in order to serve the member states of different parts of the continent.

Leadership: These five countries illustrate how rapid action to recognize and respond to the crisis at the top of government can help reduce early levels of transmission of a disease and enable health systems to catch up to the threat.

Trust: Public trust, particularly in vaccines, remains a problem, but some innovative approaches on display in the studied countries may have potential to further scale.

Testing: Limited testing and medical capacity remains a major issue for these five countries, making it difficult to construct a complete understanding of the spread of COVID-19, and forcing large-scale, economically-restrictive measures rather than more targeted interventions.

Economic Impact: The economic impact of those economically-restrictive measures has been largely unsustainable, forcing a more nuanced approach.

View and download the full study PDF here.