Researchers: Laura Derksen, with Anne Fitzpatrick, Sabrin Beg, Anne Karing, Jason Kerwin, Adrienne Lucas, Natalia Ordaz Reynoso and Munir Squires
As rich countries grapple with Covid, poor countries, and African countries in particular have been lost in the shuffle. Foreign donors are pulling out as they redirect funds to domestic pandemic response. How are these countries faring, given a younger age distribution but more co-morbidities? With weak health systems, and vaccines trickling in at a sluggish pace, poor countries are relying heavily on behaviour change: social distancing, hand washing, mask wearing, and public space closures. The full economic consequences of the pandemic, while potentially far reaching, remain unclear. Without better local data, the impacts on health and welfare will be poorly understood, and solutions delayed.
In this project, we collected new data on Covid knowledge, behavioural responses, and implications for economic and psychological well-being in southern Africa. We used detailed survey data, collected early on in the pandemic, from four different African countries. We surveyed over two thousand people, including teachers in Ghana, urban residents in Malawi and Sierra Leone, and business owners in Tanzania.
Thanks to increasing internet and mobile phone access, we find that up-to-date Covid information is easy to get, even in low resource settings. Soon after the start of the pandemic, across all four populations, Covid knowledge was high. Most respondents (around 80%) knew you could transmit Covid by coughing or coming into contact with infected people, and that a cough and fever were primary symptoms.
People who knew more about Covid were more likely to take protective measures. They were more likely to report that they avoided shaking hands, washed their hands regularly, and wore a mask.
Government mandates seemed even more important than knowledge. Mask wearing in particular was 3 to 4 times higher in Ghana and Sierra Leone, where a mandate was in place.
We were surprised to see that knowledge did not actually increase social distancing. People with higher knowledge of Covid transmission and symptoms actually came into contact with more people. This isn’t necessarily causal -- it could be, for example, that socially connected people are more likely to hear up to date information from their friends.
Finally, the economic and psychological impacts of Covid in Africa are severe. Half of respondents reported income loss and increased stress due to the pandemic.
As vaccination picks up in the rich world, we should not lose sight of the negative impact Covid is having in Africa. While information flows are helping, they are not enough. It is difficult to limit social contact when delivery services are not available and you rely on public transit. Economic consequences are felt more keenly in poor countries, and can lead to mental distress. Poor countries will need material support, financial and pharmaceutical, to mount an effective response to the pandemic.