As a disease progresses, so too must the underlying data and reporting improve to manage the progression of the outbreak.
- Director, The Centre for Philosophy of Epidemiology Medicine and Public Health, University of Johannesburg
Epidemics do not require the total eradication of the disease to end.
The data concerning both the spread of the virus and the indirect consequences of the lockdown indicates that no similar action is justified moving forward.
Unlike in wealthy nations, lockdowns are simply impossible in overcrowded conditions with no sanitation and high levels of poverty.
Lockdown should be nuanced to the South African context of overcrowded accommodation and high levels of domestic violence. Permitting cigarette purchases and exercise might assist.
Social distancing is impossible in much of Africa, and its economic consequences may lead to a famine that is worse than the pandemic. Prevention measures must consider the African context.
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