Thoughts on Covid-19 and Vaccinations in Africa
When Covid-19 begun, I was one of the first few advocates of deliberate measures to control it. It was a novel virus that none of us had heard about before. Like everybody else, I believed in the gospel; wash your hands frequently, sanitize, social distance, and keep tabs of the numbers. However, it became increasingly clear that something else was happening in Africa that did not resemble what was happening in Europe and America. Considering the level of dysfunction in Kenya and most of Africa, we expected that the number of cases and deaths in Africa would be exceptionally high. After all, we have few healthcare facilities, zero sense of public health, large families sheltered under one roof, the necessity of work that makes it impossible for people to work from home or even social distance, and the lack of essential resources like water, sanitizers, masks, testing kits, and the much needed ICU equipment like beds and ventilators.
By late 2020, it was already clear that Africa was the global Covid-19 cold spot. Very little has been written about this, for reasons I believe revolve around race and racism. If any established media or individual was to bring up the idea that there is a racial difference in Covid-19 deaths, they’ll likely be ousted as racists, bigots, and will possibly lose status. However, it is a truth that has to be acknowledged. Several theories have been fronted by scholars like Jon Entine and Patrick White who don’t fear poking their eyes on racial differences. The most obvious is that Africa is the continent of young people, with an average age of just 19 years. Covid-19 has been established as a disease of the elderly and those with comorbidities. A younger population in Africa means lower risk and lower comorbidities. That, however, does not mean Africa does not have the elderly. There are many old people in Africa, who considering the mechanisms of the diseases, ought to have died in large numbers. Like I said earlier, in Africa most people live in large families under one roof. That makes it almost impossible to shield the elderly from Covid-19. In Europe and America where the elderly are cared for in nursing homes and other long term care facilities, it is possible to lock doors and protect the elderly. Here, we live with our parents and grandparents in the same compound or homes.
Other commentators have also argued that climate and geography could also explain why Africa had lower cases and deaths. There is some truth to this one too. Looking at Europe and America, cases tend to increase during winter and reduce in the summer. However, climatic conditions tend to be similar in regions lying in the same latitude. Kenya, for example, lies at the equator and we expect similar climatic conditions in countries like Ecuador, Colombia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Similarly, between the Equator and the tropic of cancer, we have almost half of the nations in Africa excluding North Africa. Other nations a few degrees north of the equator include India, Myanmar, Vietnam, and all nations of Central America. If Covid-19 only affected people based on the climatic conditions of their countries, then we would expect similar patterns in nations lying in the same latitude. I do not think that’s the case because all East and Central African countries lie on the same plane as Brazil. So far, Brazil has suffered more casualties than these African nations combined. Brazil even has more cases and deaths than the whole of Africa. Something more than climate and geography is going on.
Could it be something about genetics? This theory is plausible and should not be quickly dismissed. However, testing this theory is likely to open a can of worms that very few people are prepared for. Proving that Africans and Europeans are genetically different in ways that impacts health outcomes further entrenches hereditarianism and raises more questions that go beyond Covid-19. However, genetic difference between the races is only shunned in the media and the progressive left. All doctors already know that Africans and people of African descent are more susceptible to Sickle Cell Anemia than Caucasians and people of European ancestry. Could the same be true about Covid-19? To put this theory to test, go check the number of cases and deaths that South Africa has. South Africa has a significantly large white population and coincidentally the country with the highest Covid-19 cases in Africa. Take a look at cases in North African countries like Egypt, these countries follow in Covid-19 cases and deaths. Throughout history, there has been significant admixture between North Africans and non-Africans. Coincidentally, they also have more cases than Sub-Saharan Africa. Another theory related to genes and genetics includes the idea that most Africans have predominantly blood type O. Could that have an effect on Covid-19? I don’t know.
Similarly, Entine and White argue that the susceptibility of Africans to malaria makes us almost immune to Covid-19. Malaria also makes Africans and people of African descent susceptible to Sickle Cell Anemia. Dr. Robert Malone in the Joe Rogan Podcast argues that Sub-Saharan Africa uses drugs like hydroxychloroquin and Ivermectin to treat most diseases including malaria. These drugs may be conferring some protection against Covid-19. Dr. Malone also argues that Sub-Saharan Africa has lower rates of obesity than other countries and regions outside Africa.
The hygiene hypothesis is also a viable reason which posits that the unsanitary conditions in Africa have made us immune to many kinds of bacteria and viruses. A joke has even been made that in Africa, we deal with the absolute worst like Ebola, AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis; what would a cold like Covid-19 do to us? Despite that, many western scientists are still not yet done with us. Many scientific models especially from the West have shown that Africa was impacted the most and the reason for the lower cases and deaths is because we are under counting or under reporting. Anecdotally, I still do not know of anybody who has died of Covid-19. I don’t know about you, but maybe you know a few people. However, to say that we are not recording Covid-19 deaths properly, leaves us with a lot of dead bodies lying on the streets. Have you seen any?
Let me now get to the second part of this post. What I have written above is what I believe to be the current and most valid state of Covid-19 in Africa. We have fewer cases and fewer deaths, all which can be accounted for by a variety of reasons. We are now coming to the end of 2021 and vaccines have been around for a while now. The next segment will focus on what are my opinions on Covid-19 and vaccination in Africa. Now once again, go look at your Greek Alphabet chart and count how many variants of Covid-19 we’ve had before omicron. Everything, I have said in the previous segment applies to all those variants including omicron. From my non-expert observations, omicron is not any different from other Covid-19 variants. Remember when delta came out everybody panicked thinking it was the variant sent to completely finish us? We are now on omicron and people now believe this is the one that will finally take us out. These variants have become like the end of the world prophesies, where each date is always the real date until it passes, and we are left looking for a different date. For how long shall we play these games, kicking the bottle down the road while we could just ignore both the virus and its variants?
Vaccinations in Africa have also come with their own controversies. In a continent that heavily relies on vaccines to keep polio, tuberculosis, tetanus, diphtheria and many other diseases at bay, Covid-19 vaccinations have been met with severe skepticism. I understand these sentiments and I don’t see why other people should not. When African Americans express vaccine hesitancy, we are always reminded of Tuskegee and the validity of their hesitancy. Why shouldn’t the same benefit of doubt be extended to Africans too? After all, aren’t African Americans our brothers and sisters? Haven’t we been colonized by the same evil masters that enslaved them? But many of you would also argue that, if westerners meant harm, they should have done it using other vaccines? If we trusted them with polio vaccines, we should also trust them with Covid-19.
That argument is compelling, but I do not like comparing dissimilar things. In a different essay, I showed how comparing two countries that are not the same can be perilous. Polio and BCG vaccines are not in any way similar to Covid-19 vaccines. The technologies used in their creation are worlds apart. Earlier vaccines also took a considerable amount of time in their development and trials stage than Covid-19 has taken. Another difference is that, if we were to compare the effects of polio and TB in Africa, are they comparable to the effects of Covid-19. Do a quick Google search and see how many people die of Malaria and TB in Africa and compare that to those who have died of Covid-19.
We can also ask the question, how effective is Covid-19 vaccines? Before 2019, vaccines were defined as agents that confer immunity to the subject. My offline dictionary defines immunity as “FULLY protective resistance against infection.” A vaccine is, therefore, an agent that offers full protective resistance against infection. So far, no Covid-19 vaccine can offer the protection alluded to by that definition. It even raises the question whether we should call them vaccines. Various entities, faced by that dilemma, have rushed to redefine the meaning of immunity and vaccination. The definition has evolved from vaccines offer full immunity to vaccines prevent severe disease and hospitalization. I usually do not have trust issues but if people are willing to change the definition of words to meet their needs then I will be skeptical of their intentions. This is also a blow to the people who believe Covid-19 vaccines can be compared to polio vaccines. Do polio vaccines offer full immunity or do they prevent severe disease and hospitalization? Your call.
I would also want to know when was the last time my audience received a polio booster vaccine. If we are going to argue these vaccines are similar, then major differences like booster shots have to be brought to question. So far I have not received any polio booster and I am certain I’ll receive none in future. The issue about booster shots is valid for several reasons. First, vaccines are expensive. If we are going to be taking booster shots four times annually, then I doubt Africa will tolerate that nonsense in future. Most African nations are relying wholly on donations, but we all know there’s no free lunch. The person donating them bought them before bringing them here. Similarly, donated vaccines could be a gate way for policy exploitation in future. I know you know how it goes; “we gave you vaccines, can you please remove the tariffs on our exports?” Another problem with boosters is, for how long shall we keep up with these boosters and to what end?” I don’t think I am willing to do my 33rd booster shot. May be you are willing and that’s up to you.
Yes, it is up to you. I want to emphasize that point because of the popular debate on freedom versus the public good. At some point, in the long list of booster shots, the idea of freedom will ring a bell in your mind. If you are willing to do booster shots forever, I think it’s selfish of you to want to drag people with you in that despicable journey. If you cannot do it alone, then you have no business doing it in the first place. Some of us will not sit here and take dose after dose of booster shots just to make other people feel happy and safe. Moreover, I think we are living through a defining time in history. From what I have seen, tyranny has become fashionable and vaccination seems to be the white van that will deliver us to our fascist leaders. If people can keep their freedoms to remain unvaccinated, chances are we will succeed in starving the fascism that’s moving around knocking doors. This is also the era of wokeness, and vaccine mandates are so popular with the progressive left. If anything, there are a lot of things in the name of social justice and communism that these people want. Covid-19 and vaccine mandates could be what takes us there. It all looks like conspiracy theory, but the call on this one can only be tested by time. Will the progressive left win the culture wars? What will be the price? What will have made the win possible? Is it Covid-19 and vaccine mandates? Let’s wait and see.
The last part of the previous paragraph shows how politics and Covid-19 are inextricably linked. For those who want us to believe that Covid-19 is a medical issue that doctors alone can comment on, welcome to the political side. Here’s where you meet all the conspiracy theories and political proclamations. However, did I say that the Tuskegee experiments were once thought to be conspiracy theories? It is too early to make the call on Covid-19 related conspiracies. But I am sure some of them will age like fine wine. I am always open to different possibilities, and I will not say any of these conspiracies are true. But I am also cautious not to denounce any of them as false. What I believe is that we should all stop calling people antivaxxers or conspiracy theorists. Both of these labels are inaccurate. As I have shown, we are all pro-vaccines if the true meaning of the word vaccine is to go by. Conspiracies can only be time-tested, and calling any of them true or false very early is intellectual dwarfism.
To sum, should you take the vaccine or not? I believe every individual should make that decision for themselves. As an African, I do not find Covid-19 deadly enough to warrant the need for vaccination. If something has negligible effect on a population, then why do they need to be pushed to take the vaccine? For godsake, do they even need booster shots? Similarly, I do not find vaccines especially harmful. The vaccine has side effects and some people have died after taking the vaccine. If I am being genuine, then let me state that the effects of vaccines that we have seen thus far, are far lower than the actual effects of Covid-19 in Africa. If Kenya has 5353 Covid-19 deaths as of 19th Dec, 2021, then I doubt complications arising from vaccines are anywhere close to that. Actually, you will even struggle to count ten cases. Twitter is a very weird platform because it compounds small effects and makes them appear larger. We hear of a single case in one corner of the globe, another from a different corner, and so forth. Twitter brings them together and makes them appear ubiquitous. Don’t fall for that. If you don’t know anybody who has died of Covid-19, I doubt you know anyone who has died of vaccine complications. In Kenya, this lady died after taking the Pfizer jab. The long term effects of the vaccines are also yet to be known, so people need to be allowed time to speculate instead of being forced to take the jab. I would take the vaccine if I wanted because neither the virus nor the vaccine seems harmful or scary enough. However, my decision not to take it is a matter of choice rather than anything about Covid-19 or the vaccine. I expect we will all respect everyone’s decisions to take or not to take the vaccine. I think we can all benefit from time. If vaccines are harmful, time will tell. For the sake of individual urgency, everybody should retain their ability to make a choice without coercion.
