Covid-19 ‘capture’ looms with global economy almost ruined

Are we at risk of being captured and ruled by Covid-19? Understandably, much of the world is overwhelmed by the many demands on its stretched resources due to the coronavirus pandemic. The precautions we are taking to avoid catching the virus and also curb its spread are numerous and costly.

They’ve snatched and diverted the lion’s share of our time, attention and capacity, often at the expense of many other critical demands of life. I’m not saying this is wrong or even over the top, but it’s a fact.

The virus itself, containment measures and curfews have slowed down and even halted everything, including the very wheels of everyday life and business. Since the latter drives much of our activity, the curtailment is hard-hitting.

Last weekend, I was offered bunches of quality roses at a much discounted price by my local flower vendor. The reason is that there is little or no export taking place and so the destiny of these flowers is, at best, the small domestic market — or, at worst, the shredder.

The formal and informal job base is shrinking as more people are either laid off or find little or no gainful activity. The economy first lurched into a downturn, which is fast turning into a recession. If this is not reduced or arrested, many countries, Kenya included, could fall into a long economic depression.

Due to the all-encompassing nature of this pandemic, our lives are increasingly dominated and, indeed, ruled by it. Some would argue that official reactions have often been over the top, but this virus is very contagious and intrepid and has often caught us on the run.

It is imperative that we pause, take stock of our actions so far, where we are at in the overall game plan, and move forward with renewed energy.

First, we must gently, but persistently, roll back the many strictures that have been put in place so that gradually, activities can resume and pick up. This is essential; otherwise, we risk social and economic meltdown with horrifying consequences.

One cannot hold back and confine so many peoples’ energies indefinitely without some of those people rebelling and literally taking the law into their own hands. We’re spiralling down economically. The answer is to slowly relax those restrictive measures.

Secondly, and as important, we are diverting — and hence, starving — vital resources from other challenges and afflictions. Malaria and malnutrition may not look as immediate and overwhelming as Covid-19, but they are, though it has relegated them to the back burner.

An example of this is the media coverage of Covid 19 and World Malaria Day last Saturday. The former got the prime first pages and the latter a paid advert tucked somewhere in the middle of the paper.

In Africa, the number of people afflicted by malaria and the resultant deaths far outnumber Covid-19. Malaria still is, by far, the biggest medical and health challenge the continent faces. It kills more than 400,000 in Africa, over 18,000 in Kenya alone, yearly.

Due to the significant progress in the fight against malaria, the figure is going down every year. Over $3 billion is spent on malaria prevention annually. In an ideal scenario, that figure should be double.

The real threat now is that some funds are in danger of being diverted — if they are not already — and if that happens we could see malaria mortality shoot up to rates that would make the current Covid-19 toll look like a mere footnote.

The same applies to food and nutrition support. Along with malaria, malnutrition remains a constant threat in Africa, especially in light of natural disasters, whether they be the weather or locust invasions.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for a quarter of the world’s 900 million-plus hungry. Global food aid efforts to alleviate this are, therefore, massive but not enough. Imagine if the already slender budget was cut further due the demands of Covid-19!

I’m not arguing against the fight against Covid-19. All I’m saying is that the war against the two main killers — malaria and malnutrition — should not, in any way, be reduced or, worse, hijacked by Covid-19 prevention efforts. There’s a real danger that it is going in that direction.