COVID-19: Why Communities Should be the Focus to Reduce the Impact in Africa

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic once again brought to the fore the global need for to support and invest in strong and resilient health systems. While some governments have strongly responded to the pandemic with a systems-based approach, other governments realized that their lack of long term investments in their health system – especially at the community level – have made effective COVID response an uphill battle. Without strong fundamental health systems, countries are struggling to both respond to the pandemic and continue to provide essential health services resulting in reversals of gains made in anti-natal care, maternal health interventions and basic immunizations. Adding to these challenges, misinformation about COVID-19 and stigma against health workers are growing across lower- and middle-income countries. Even if there is a vaccine for COVID-19 in the near future, communities must overcome their distrust of government, wide spread misinformation, and concerns of health workers to even consider this option.