Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic: A review of the nature of the virus, impacts and implications for preparedness

About this activity

As the world continues to experience climatic and ecosystem changes and increased human migration, there has been a surge of novel and re-emerging pathogens. Over the past three decades, up to 30 new human pathogens have been detected, 75% of which have animal origin (. COVID-19 triggers respiratory difficulties for which the SARS-CoV-2 virus is responsible. The virus was first reported in the city of Wuhan, the Hubei Province, in China on December 31st 2019 (. As the global scientific community works assiduously to limit the spreading of COVID-19, the Affiliates of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) have synthesized current evidence on the biology and epidemiology of the disease; and identified the challenges and opportunities in combating the global pandemic. This paper aims to enhance understanding of COVID-19, assess Africa’s preparedness and determine operational challenges of disease control.