A report released by the Partnership for Evidence-Based Response to Covid-19 (PERC) Consortium that less than half of Africans they interviewed about the Covid-19 pandemic believed they faced the risk of contracting the virus.
More than 60 percent of those interviewed believe that the virus could be prevented by drinking lemon or taking vitamin C. And the remaining percentage believed that Africans are immune to the virus.
The survey was done between March and April in 28 cities across 20 AU Member States. It gathered real-time information about the dynamics of coronavirus, the government’s responses to the pandemic, as well as people’s perception of both, to aid the governments in the implementation of the best public health and social measure to contain the virus.
The findings were discussed in a webinar hosted by the African Center for Diseases Control and public strategy firm – Gatefield, to help reporters across the continent improve their reporting around the Covid-19 pandemic.
In African currently, there are 418,002 confirmed cases, 10404 deaths, and about 200,00 recoveries.
Dr. Emmanuel Agogo, an official at Resolve to Save Lives, said even though Africa’s Covid-19 number is lower compared to the rest of the world, it is important to identify the common trends, issues, and attitudes across the phases of the disease outbreak.
- Man Nursing Injuries In Turbo After Being Attacked By His Daughters’ Boyfriends
- Meet the man who scammed a Dubai bank of $242 million using juju
- Church Leaders Tells Uhuru Not To Lift The Cessation Movement In Nairobi And Mombasa
- Is Martha Karua Moving To Ruto’s Camp After The Latest Revelation?
“Outbreaks and pandemics come in various phases. we need to keep vigilant. Covid-19 will hit rural areas and villages later than the urban places,” Dr. Agogo said.
The research also found that four in five respondents expected that Covid-19 would be a big issue in their countries. But their risk perception for contracting coronavirus was low.
The study also shows that 73 percent of Africans thought that a hot climate in the continent prevented the spread of the virus and 61 percent believe that avoiding a person who has recovered from the virus prevents them from contracting the disease.
