2020. Unexpected. Unprecedented. The year a virus tore through the core of our being and assailed our health systems and the wellbeing of our economies. Its effects ricocheted through every street, every alley of South Africa. FORBES AFRICA trained its lens on the new reality the year is leaving behind.



Photographs and Words by Motlabana Monnakgotla &amp; Chanel Retief 



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-the-last-mile">The Last Mile</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="591" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Last-Mile-1024x591.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49381" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Last-Mile-1024x591.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Last-Mile-300x173.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Last-Mile-768x443.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Last-Mile-1536x886.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Last-Mile-2048x1182.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Last-Mile-600x346.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



When Kagiso Ramphela (above) started Ramphela Funerals, a funeral parlor, just before Covid-19 struck South Africa, he never anticipated what was in store. Deemed essential services during the pandemic, his business, in a bizarre twist of fate, picked up.



“I don’t want to say business is booming, because it sounds like I am saying for business to boom, people must die. But what I will say is I think things have been fair to us,” Ramphela says, scratching his head, when we meet him at his office in Soweto, Johannesburg.



In this business, he always expects the unexpected, and this could mean calls in the middle of the night, from harried relatives requesting caskets for their loved ones. Ramphela needs to also ensure his staff is protected and safe from the virus at all times, whilst providing support to grieving families.



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-coping-with-loss">Coping With Loss</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="732" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Coping-With-Loss-1024x732.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49377" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Coping-With-Loss-1024x732.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Coping-With-Loss-300x215.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Coping-With-Loss-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Coping-With-Loss-1536x1099.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Coping-With-Loss-2048x1465.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Coping-With-Loss-600x429.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



“There’s no closure,” says Charlie Mpogeng (above) standing by his brother&#8217;s grave at Westpark Cemetery in Emmarentia, west of Johannesburg. On the morning of July 17, he lost his 37-year-old brother, Herman Motlhabane, to Covid-19. “Everyone loved and respected him,” remembers Mpogeng.



“We were dressed in PPE gear to go see his body at the funeral home. We had to come out, take off the PPE, and get sanitized. And then immediately I had to get on to a call with the undertaker. There was no time to sit down and be like, ‘oh, snap I just lost my brother’.”



At the funeral, those in attendance had to observe social distancing and the ceremony only lasted a little over an hour. This is a familiar story for most who have lost a loved one to the pandemic this year. As of mid-November, South Africa recorded over 20,000 Covid- related deaths.



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-a-brake-on-business">A Brake On Business</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="649" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/A-Brake-On-business-1024x649.png" alt="" class="wp-image-49376" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/A-Brake-On-business-1024x649.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/A-Brake-On-business-300x190.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/A-Brake-On-business-768x487.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/A-Brake-On-business-1536x973.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/A-Brake-On-business-2048x1298.png 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/A-Brake-On-business-600x380.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



With most of the country reverting to a new Work-From- Home reality in the wake of Covid-19, South Africa’s taxi industry took a hard knock. In June, taxi associations across Johannesburg announced that they would be increasing their fares from a minimum of R11 to R30 ($1) a trip, also lamenting the lack of adequate government relief. 



New regulations stipulate that public vehicles are only allowed to carry 70% of their maximum capacity and to mandatorily practice social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand sanitizing. 



Public taxis are a popular mode of transport for daily wage earners and office commuters, especially in South Africa’s sprawling townships. Another business that braked to a screeching stop? The neighborhood car-wash facility.



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-unemployment-woes">Unemployment Woes</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Unemployment-Woes-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49382" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Unemployment-Woes-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Unemployment-Woes-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Unemployment-Woes-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Unemployment-Woes-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Unemployment-Woes-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Unemployment-Woes-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



According to the National Income Dynamics Study-Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey, approximately three million South Africans have lost their jobs due to covid-19. Disgruntled unions came together in a nationwide protest (as in this image taken in the central business district of Johannesburg) on October 7 against unemployment, wage disputes, and job losses. Some demands were related to Covid-19 corruption, the failing economy, and the fact that due to a setback in the government’s wage agreement, workers may not receive salary increases in the next financial year. 



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-off-track">Off-Track</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Off-Track-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49378" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Off-Track-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Off-Track-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Off-Track-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Off-Track-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Off-Track-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Off-Track-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



The pandemic also derailed the rail industry, with a reported surge in cable theft at railway stations. Reuters reported that during the lockdown – implemented in various stages in South Africa since march – organized, sometimes armed, criminal gangs stole valuable copper from the railway lines. As part of his economic recovery plan, President Cyril Ramaphosa has proposed the privatization of some of South Africa’s key train routes in a bid to improve transport access to millions of South Africans.



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-butt-seriously">Butt Seriously </h2>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Butt-Seriously-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49374" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Butt-Seriously-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Butt-Seriously-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Butt-Seriously-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Butt-Seriously-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Butt-Seriously-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Butt-Seriously-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



One of the most controversial lockdown regulations in South Africa was the banning of the sale of cigarettes. This forced many to either resort to more expensive, often ‘illegal ways’ to source their smoking stock, or quit altogether.



The Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products, based at the University of Cape Town, and the South African Medical Research Council&#8217;s Dr Catherine Egbe, found that nearly a million people quit smoking during the lockdown.



On the other hand, British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) released a media statement in July saying that research shows 11 million smokers in South Africa are still able to purchase cigarettes from illicit suppliers. “These illicit suppliers are not suddenly going to become compliant and start obeying the law and paying taxes when the ban is eventually lifted. They evaded taxes before the lockdown, they’ve made billions tax-free during the ban and they will evade taxes after the ban,” said BATSA’s Head of External Affairs Johnny Moloto in July.



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-something-to-wine-about">Something to Wine About</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Something-To-Wine-About-1024x683.png" alt="" class="wp-image-49380" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Something-To-Wine-About-1024x683.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Something-To-Wine-About-300x200.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Something-To-Wine-About-768x512.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Something-To-Wine-About-1536x1024.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Something-To-Wine-About-2048x1365.png 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Something-To-Wine-About-600x400.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



Another point of contention was the back and forth regarding the ban on alcohol during the lockdown. This impasse specifically had a negative impact on the country’s bars and restaurant businesses.



The Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA) CEO Wendy Alberts says the hard lockdown put a strain on several restaurants that have had to permanently close their doors.



RASA ran a survey in which 23,000 restaurants across South Africa participated (during alert level two of the lockdown). Of that, 30% stated they have shut down while 50% said they do not know if they will be able to reopen due to massive overheads and debt.



“I am very heartsore for those restaurants that have lost their businesses and staff that have lost their jobs. So although this appears to be a win, there is no win in this space because people have lost, and people have been hurt,” says Alberts.



With lockdown restrictions now eased, the restaurants and bars are slowly returning to life. In this image, taken at SOD in Soweto, the South African summer seems to have revived conviviality in outdoor spaces.



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-art-of-the-matter">Art Of The Matter </h2>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="618" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Art-Of-The-Matter-1024x618.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49375" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Art-Of-The-Matter-1024x618.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Art-Of-The-Matter-300x181.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Art-Of-The-Matter-768x463.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Art-Of-The-Matter-1536x927.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Art-Of-The-Matter-2048x1236.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Art-Of-The-Matter-400x240.jpg 400w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Art-Of-The-Matter-600x362.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



A child rides past a mural painted in August by South African artist Graham Mckuur, known as ‘Dimms’, on Kremetart Street in Eldorado Park Ext 3. The work is in tribute to Nathaniel Julius, a 16-year- old allegedly shot and killed by police in Johannesburg&#8217;s Eldorado Park. 



The teenager had Down Syndrome, which sent shockwaves on social media. According to BBC Africa, the family said Julius was shot for not answering police officers’ questions. News reports say that three officers have been arrested on charges of murder.



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-room-for-change">Room For Change</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/room-for-change-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49379" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/room-for-change-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/room-for-change-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/room-for-change-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/room-for-change-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/room-for-change-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/room-for-change-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



2020 definitely changed the way we work. the hard lockdown in level one of the pandemic saw emptying office spaces, until around alert level three when most companies gradually had staff trickling in to work. But with Covid-19 still a sore reality, most office-goers have slipped into the work-from-home mode for longer, or indefinitely. 



This has also amplified digitalization and the need for companies to quickly streamline technology to enable better workflow processes. The International Labour organization has also been reporting on the rise of the flexible workforce’. The final word on the future workplace is still being scripted.

00 Opening

The Year That Changed Everything

<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/mackenzie-scott/?sh=3f994da8243d">MacKenzie Scott</a>&nbsp;— the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos — announced Tuesday that she’s donated more than $4.1 billion over the past four months to nearly 400 organizations helping fulfill basic needs for many Americans struggling in the pandemic.



“This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling,” Scott writes. “Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of color, and for people living in poverty. Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires.”



Scott, who received one-quarter of her ex-husband’s Amazon stock in their divorce settlement in 2019, is the third richest woman in the world, behind L’Oreal heir&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/francoise-bettencourt-meyers/?list=rtb/&amp;sh=438656d52b06">Francoise Bettencourt Meyers</a>&nbsp;and Walmart heir&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/alice-walton/?list=rtb/&amp;sh=1d36b6614eb2">Alice Walton</a>. Scott is worth an estimated $55.1 billion, according to&nbsp;Forbes’&nbsp;calculations, after taking into account her newest charitable giving.



In a&nbsp;<a href="https://medium.com/@mackenzie_scott/384-ways-to-help-45d0b9ac6ad8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">post on Medium</a>, Scott, a novelist, said she and her team had vetted hundreds of organizations in recent months and ultimately donated $4.158 billion to 384 groups, which she named and linked to in her post. Recipients include community colleges and universities like Blackfeet Community College in Montana; food banks and meal providers like Feeding America, America’s Second Harvest and Meals on Wheels; and many individual YMCAs and YWCAs.



Scott also says that her gifts to these organizations are unrestricted, meaning that were not earmarked for certain initiatives. That allows the recipients to use the money however they best see fit.



“Not only are non-profits chronically underfunded, they are also chronically diverted from their work by fundraising, and by burdensome reporting requirements that donors often place on them,” she writes. By freeing nonprofit groups of that burden, she hopes the organizations can focus on their primary work —meeting the needs of those they serve.&nbsp;



That sits particularly well with YMCA of the USA, which received a $20 million donation from Scott. Local YMCAs received additional donations. Many YMCAs have been providing childcare to families of first responders and essential workers during the pandemic. But the YMCA says it’s faced a revenue drop of $1 billion across the organization since the pandemic started. So the gift is much needed.



“We are incredibly grateful to MacKenzie Scott for her generous gifts made to 43 YMCA associations and YMCA of the USA,” said Kevin Washington, president and CEO, YMCA of the USA. “Ms. Scott’s gifts are a testament to the trust Ys have earned by meeting pressing social needs in the communities the Y serves across the country. These unrestricted funds are especially important to the work of Ys to support communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.”



In May 2019, Scott&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddawkins/2019/05/28/mackenzie-bezos-will-donate-half-her-fortune-to-giving-pledge/?sh=c23098931d89">signed the Giving Pledge</a>&nbsp;— a promise to give away at least half of her fortune to charitable organizations&nbsp;either during her lifetime or after she dies. In July this year, Scott&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/angelauyeung/2020/07/28/mackenzie-bezos-announces-nearly-17-billion-in-charitable-giftsand-shes-changed-her-last-name/?sh=3ab8650b6dfb">announced</a>, also through a&nbsp;<a href="https://medium.com/@mackenzie_scott/116-organizations-driving-change-67354c6d733d" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Medium post</a>, that she had donated nearly $1.7 billion to 116 charitable groups. It was her first large round of philanthropic giving. She also used the post to declare that she had changed her last name from Bezos to Scott (which was her middle name). Altogether, Scott’s announced gifts to charitable and nonprofit groups this year total $5.8 billion.&nbsp;



Jeff Bezos, still&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeff-bezos/?sh=16b6d9061b23">the world’s richest person</a>, has not signed the Giving Pledge, though he has stepped up his charitable giving this year. In April, he announced<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/angelauyeung/2020/04/02/jeff-bezos-announces-100-million-gift-to-nonprofit-feeding-america/?sh=ea02bb61818f">&nbsp;a $100 million gif</a>t to Feeding America, which works with food banks across the country. In February, Bezos&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/02/17/jeff-bezos-pledges-to-fight-climate-change-with-10-billion-earth-fund/?sh=1220fb1523bc">pledged $10 billion</a>&nbsp;over an unspecified period of time toward solving climate change. As part of that pledge, in mid November he announced nearly<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/angelauyeung/2020/11/16/jeff-bezos-announces-nearly-800million-in-donations-to-climate-change-organizations/?sh=3b945e7d2b7b">&nbsp;$800 million in grants</a>&nbsp;to 16 groups working to fight climate change.



Editor’s note, 7:30 pm ET December 15, 2020: This post was updated to clarify that the $20 million donation from Scott went to YMCA of the USA, while local YMCAs received additional donations. The article previously incorrectly implied that the $20 million donation was split among all the YMCAs.



by Kerry A. Dolan, Forbes Staff

Axel Springer award ceremony

Mackenzie (Bezos) Scott Announces She’s Donated $4.1 Billion To 384 Groups In Recent Months

There has been enough debate and deliberation around South Africa’s proposed National Health Insurance Bill for unified health coverage. Covid-19 has turned the spotlight on it again, and there’s more news expected in February 2021.



I FEEL GOOD,” WERE THE LAST WORDS 33-YEAR-OLD Charlie Mpogeng remembers his brother, Herman Motlhabane, saying to him before his untimely passing on the morning of July 17.



Motlhabane died, his relatives not knowing it was because of Covid-19 as his test results were only made available two weeks after his passing.



He had complained of a flu before being hospitalized.



“It was during that time of mass hysteria when everyone was like ‘if you have the flu, have it checked out’,” Mpogeng remembers as he walks to his brother’s grave at Westpark Cemetery in Emmarentia, west of Johannesburg. Even as he speaks, a tractor is digging up more graves around him, for other hapless victims who have succumbed to Covid-19.



By the end of July, 1,932 people had died of the pandemic in South Africa’s Gauteng Province, Motlhabane one of them.



With a disruptive virus still on the prowl to claim more unsuspecting lives, political establishments everywhere are sitting up and revisiting their healthcare systems – or the lack of it.



In South Africa, the focus has returned to the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, proposed to improve and strengthen the health financing system and provide quality, affordable medical care to all.



“The pandemic also showed the need for the public and private healthcare sectors to work together,” Dr Zweli Mkhize, the country’s health minister, said at a press briefing in October. “This is one of the core principles of the NHI.”



To further enable this, the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) and The National Institute For Communicable Diseases Of South Africa (NCID) have fallen under one umbrella, to ensure tests are adequately and accurately captured, but also to ensure labs can exchange skills, information and resources as and when the need arises.



“At the start of the pandemic, there was a critical shortage of test kits. At that time, the labs 



would count all the kits that were available in the country and then distribute them equitably amongst each other, regardless of whether the lab was private or public and it’s important



to point out that both public and private labs co-sponsored each other in ensuring equitable distribution,” Popo Maja, the spokesperson for the national Department of Health in South Africa, tells FORBES AFRICA.



Healthcare workers were counted as “one workforce” during these dire times, working freely between public and private sectors and some moving to work at field hospitals. Due to the high demand for hospital beds for Covid-19 patients, the government agreed with private hospital groups about pricing and acceptance of state patients. According to Maja, such negotiations have previously taken years 



and were often facilitated by lawyers and courts, at times without resolution.



“Covid-19 reminded us that we depend on each other. We have been able to forge cooperation between private and public,” Mkhize further stated in a one-on-one interview at the fifth annual FORBES AFRICA Philips Future of Health Summit in November. “We need a system that will ensure equitable access to quality healthcare irrespective of class and status or financial standing. Universal health coverage is now a global aspiration.”



The NHI Bill has been deliberated for years and the next development is expected to happen in February 2021. The Parliament’s portfolio committee on health dealing with the bill said that it plans to submit a report on the comments by then. According to ‘BusinessTech’, the pandemic had an impact on the process regarding the NHI and parliament which had to go through a mountain of submissions on the bill.



And though the Department of Health is confident that the pandemic has proven that the NHI is necessary, others believe differently, in consonance with the fact that the bill has sparked much debate from various quarters over the years.



“Our economic situation has deteriorated so drastically, that if it was unaffordable before, it’s even more unaffordable now. I mean the estimates of costs are hundreds of billions of rands,” says Jack Bloom, Democratic Alliance Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, to FORBES AFRICA.



Bloom goes on to explain that right now, the state should be focusing on fixing the administration issues in the health sector, including those around poor hospital infrastructure, frustrated medical personnel, and delayed surgeries and treatments.



However, Dr Nicolas Crisp, public health specialist and NHI advisor to Mkhize, remains optimistic that the NHI can alleviate some of the problems. He believes that by having the NHI, some of the strain on the private sector can be alleviated.



“This is an ethical matter that needs to be debated between clinicians. It’s not a political matter. And it’s not a purely budget matter. It’s an ethical clinical discussion around what can you give to a patient and it’s about what the evidence shows to be the best outcomes for the inputs,” Crisp says.



He believes that countries with a single health system have tended to do better than those with more than one. Decisions and actions can be taken swiftly with one system as instructions don’t need to be directed to multiple networks. Countries like the United Kingdom and Vietnam already boast such systems.



“So it doesn’t matter who’s actually delivering the services, it’s that there’s a coherent mechanism of making decisions and disseminating those decisions. And there’s a coherent mechanism of collecting data to one central point,” Crisp offers.



He has been a medical practitioner in the public sector from the 90s, consulting not only in South Africa but in other parts of Africa including Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, and Lesotho. Crisp became the advisor in July this year to assist with the design and development of the administrative and operational capacity to implement the NHI. For just over a year, Crisp has been working with the Department of Health in South Africa looking at the practical implications and requirements to support the NHI fund.



“It is extremely complicated. Let’s take just the public sector. At the moment, the money to run the public health services comes from the national fiscus; it is distributed to the provincial governments, the government, and then they are the ones who decide what percentage of that equitable share will go to health, then they inform the National Treasury and the National Department of Health that this is the amount of money they set aside for health,” Crisp explains, adding that the private sector is not any better. 



There are two ways to pay for healthcare in the private sector. One is where if you are fortunate enough that you can afford it, and you insure yourself through a medical scheme. However, the terms and conditions of this are that you only manage to cover what you can afford, and when it runs out, some are required to use public services.



“The second way that we pay for healthcare in the private sector is that when the need arises, we scramble and raise money,” Crisp explains, “And for people who are middle income and relatively poor, the only way they can raise money is to sell assets or to scrounge from their neighbors, friends, and family, and to basically blow their cash reserves to pay for their healthcare. So it’s very tenuous, and it’s insecure.”



But what do the healthcare workers feel about the NHI in South Africa in these pressing times?



It’s all good and well to consider the patient but what of those who are in the frontline, tending to them?



Solidarity, a trade union, tells FORBES AFRICA that it believes the NHI can and will destabilize the healthcare sector.



The primary research they did in 2019 amongst medical practitioners in both the private and public sectors threw up a negative response towards it.



Morné Malan, the union’s strategic specialist for research and communication, says the report indicated that 83% of medical professionals believe that should NHI be implemented, it will lead to a drastic increase in immigration to other countries; 41% said they would personally consider taking steps to immigrate if 



it is implemented and 21% of healthcare professionals indicated that they have already started taking steps towards immigration.



“The feedback that we’re getting from the industry itself is that there’s very little confidence in government, and there’s very little confidence in the system itself. And you know, this is a crucial factor. Because these are the professionals who are going to be at the frontline,” Malan says.



Other than the practical implications around NHI, is the financial and fiscal aspect that it will cost billions. And the concern from the trade unions is who will have to pay for the NHI.



“Only around 12% of South Africa’s population pays taxes. Most countries, which do have universal healthcare systems, or I should say, which do have nationalized or socialized medicine, the figure is closer to around 30% plus,” Malan says.



“It is the current system that is unstable,” Maja says. “The government currently uses the same amount of money to fund 16% of the population that uses private healthcare as it uses to fund 84% of the population that uses public facilities. The public healthcare system is under enormous pressure due to a growing population and rise of non-communicable diseases amongst other issues.”



However, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) say they have always supported NHI as it provides universal healthcare to everyone, and healthcare should not be divided into the “haves and have-nots”.



Nehawu spokesperson Khaya Xaba explains that the coronavirus has proven the need for one healthcare system, and not two.



According to Nehawu, the need is urgent, as currently, the private sector only treats 14% of South Africans, who have medical aid; while 86% of South Africans are treated by the public sector.



“I believe that the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country has proven beyond reasonable doubt that we need the urgent implementation of the NHI,” Xaba says.



“Through the NHI, we believe that working together between the two sectors and collapsing them into one will be able to deal with the needs of the country. We will be able to attend to everyone who’s sick, even if they don’t have money.”



Covid-19 may be a stark reminder of the urgent need for a unified healthcare system, but is all of South Africa ready for it yet?



Only time – and perhaps another treacherous jolt from nature – will tell.

FRANCE-HEALTH-VIRUS-TEST

What Next For The NHI?

TOPLINE As top Congressional leaders race to finalize a $900 billion federal aid bill before the holidays, progressive lawmakers are already voicing their discontent with a package they say is insufficient to meet the needs of the country during the pandemic. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) expressed his disappointment on MSNBC Wednesday that the bill under discussion includes very little newly appropriated money (with the rest repurposed from the CARES Act that passed Congress in March) and added that more aid will be needed under President-elect Joe Biden.



Speaking on the Senate floor hours later, Sanders decried what he said was just $348 billion in new spending as a mere 10% of the $3.4 trillion Heroes Act, which the House passed in May as a follow-up to the CARES Act and the Senate ignored.



Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also told reporters Wednesday that the plan is “not enough,”&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/JulieNBCNews/status/1339258075690250242" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;NBC’s Julie Tsirkin, adding that she intends to “keep pushing for more.”&nbsp;



Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) released a&nbsp;<a href="https://khanna.house.gov/sites/khanna.house.gov/files/2020.12.12_Jayapal_Khanna_Porter_COVIDpackage.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">letter</a>&nbsp;Tuesday calling for the next aid bill to include direct payments of $2,000 for individuals (the deal under discussion will reportedly include payments of roughly $600 per person) and extended unemployment benefits for a minimum of six months.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) also weighed in on Twitter Wednesday afternoon, describing the bill under discussion as a “Faustian bargain” because of the way Republicans linked two contentious proposals—state and local aid, a major Democratic priority, and protecting businesses from coronavirus lawsuits, a major Republican concern—which were both ultimately excluded.  



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Republicans managed to pair corporate liability protection with state and local government support. An invidious pairing. And sadly we’re about to buy into that and sacrifice all the life saving services local government provides our constituents. This is a Faustian bargain.&mdash; Rep. Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GerryConnolly/status/1339275165037973506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">CHIEF CRITIC</h4>



“If you’re asking me if I think this bill was well negotiated, I don’t,” Sanders told MSNBC Wednesday. “There should have been a lot more money than there currently is.” The independent from Vermont added that while he was glad to see direct payments of roughly $600 per person included in the package (albeit at a lower level than the second round of $1,200 payments he’s been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/12/10/sanders-hawley-mount-rare-bipartisan-push-for-1200-stimulus-checks/?sh=6c377463250e">pushing for</a>), “we have got to do more.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h4>



7.8 million. That’s how many Americans have fallen into poverty since June as critical CARES Act benefits expired, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://harris.uchicago.edu/files/monthly_poverty_rates_updated_thru_november_2020_final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new research</a>&nbsp;from the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame. That translates to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/12/16/largest-increase-in-us-poverty-recorded-in-2020/?sh=3b405c4d32bd">largest single-year increase</a>&nbsp;in the poverty rate since the government began tracking poverty data 80 years ago.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



In May, the Democratic-led House of Representatives passed the $3.4 trillion Heroes Act as a sweeping follow-up to the historic CARES Act signed in March. The Senate never took up the bill because the Republicans who control the chamber questioned not only the size of the package, but whether any new spending would be needed. Months later, the House passed a $2.2 trillion version of the Heroes Act (with a shortened timeline to bring down costs), but that bill never made it past the Senate’s GOP gatekeepers either. Until this month, Democratic leaders had not been willing to support any package worth less than about $2 trillion.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



During his remarks on Wednesday, President-elect Biden said he was “encouraged” by the progress towards a bill on Capitol Hill but emphasized his view of the deal on the table as a “down payment” ahead of more relief legislation after he takes office next year.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/12/16/report-relief-deal-will-include-stimulus-checks-exclude-state-aid-and-liability-protections/">Report: Relief Deal Will Include Stimulus Checks, Exclude State Aid And Liability Protections</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/12/15/senate-leader-mcconnell-vows-were-not-leaving-without-covid-19-relief-as-rank-and-file-stews-over-lack-of-stimulus-checks/">Senate Leader McConnell Vows ‘We’re Not Leaving’ Without Covid-19 Relief As Rank And File Stews Over Lack Of Stimulus Checks</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/12/15/pelosi-mcconnell-schumer-and-mccarthy-set-for-pivotal-stimulus-meeting-ahead-of-friday-shutdown-deadline/">Pelosi, McConnell, Schumer, And McCarthy Set For Pivotal Stimulus Meeting Ahead Of Friday Shutdown Deadline</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/12/15/warren-buffett-on-stimulus-gridlock-just-renew-the-ppp-and-get-us-to-the-end-of-the-tunnel/">Warren Buffett On Stimulus Gridlock: ‘Just Renew The PPP And Get Us To The End Of The Tunnel’</a> (Forbes)



-By Sarah Hansen, Forbes Staff

BERNIE SANDERS

A $900 Billion Covid-19 Aid Compromise Is Coming Together And Some Progressives Aren’t Happy

To improve Africa’s chances and ensure the safe storage of Covid-19 vaccines, Zeynep Harezi, and Karpowership based in Istanbul are working on innovative power generation solutions.



There is still a strong debate about Africa’s chances of receiving the Covid-19 vaccines when they become available in 2021: how will the continent store it?



Although organizations like GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, are closely working with global pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and AstraZeneca to ensure that Africa does not get left behind, there are other important considerations the continent needs to consider when it comes to receiving inoculation.



One such factor is the availability of consistent power to keep the vaccines refrigerated in order to remain potent and safe. According to a Reuters report, most vaccines require cooling of between two and eight degrees Celsius with the Phase 1 trials of the Covid-19 vaccine requiring storage in an environment as low as -80 degrees Celsius.



According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 50% of all vaccines are destroyed due to issues like temperature control. To improve Africa’s chances and ensure the safe storage and implementation of the vaccines, Zeynep Harezi and her Karpowership organization is hoping to introduce innovative power generation solutions that will enable Africa to succeed in not only the fight against Covid-19 but also power infrastructure development.



The 32-year-old Turkish-born managing director of Karpowership has a background in philosophy and economics, having graduated with a master’s degree from the London School of Economics. Harezi once dreamed of becoming the president of Turkey when she was a child, a choice that was greatly influenced by the country’s first female prime minister at the time. But it was her uncle who would set her sights on helping Africa improve its power infrastructure.



“When I was six years old, my uncle would tell me that he was going to build power plants inside ships and send them to countries all over the world. But he would also tell me about the mermaids in Atlantis so I was never sure where the line of reality was and where it was just story-telling,” recalls Harezi.



But her uncle’s stories were not tall tales after all. In 1996, the family-owned business entered the energy sector in Turkey when there was privatization of it. At the time, Karpowership was the first company to have an export licence and began exporting electricity from Turkey to Iraq.



“Then, many mining companies in Africa approached us and said ‘can we please build land-based power plants for them’ because they could not get reliable electricity and we told them instead of building land-based power plants in remote locations, we could build them inside ships or on barges much faster and with a better design to have increased efficiency and we can deliver them much faster than land-based power plants,” avers Harezi.



<div class="wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile" style="grid-template-columns:36% auto"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="683" height="1024" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ZH-2020-New-Fave-1-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49312" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ZH-2020-New-Fave-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ZH-2020-New-Fave-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ZH-2020-New-Fave-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ZH-2020-New-Fave-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ZH-2020-New-Fave-1-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ZH-2020-New-Fave-1-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ZH-2020-New-Fave-1-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ZH-2020-New-Fave-1-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“The long-term vision is to eradicate non-access to electricity. Everyone in the world should have access to electricity; it is a basic human right and we have the technology to deliver it.”</blockquote>
</div></div>



So, the organization began building floating power plants for mining projects in Africa. But before they could sell them to the continent, the Iraqi minister of energy requested an energy power plant for their southern city that had access to the sea. Harezi had just the right floating power ship to send. The next two power ships were subsequently supplied to Lebanon before finally their first supply was delivered to Ghana in 2014.



“The long-term vision is to eradicate non-access to electricity. Everyone in the world should have access to electricity; it is a basic human right and we have the technology to deliver it. As Karpowership, we can deliver baseload utility scale floating power plants to the remotest countries in the world with the highest risk of execution and construction, and we can deliver in less than 30 days. So, there is no excuse for anyone in the world to have no access to electricity and we can do it at a very low cost,” says Harezi.



Africa’s population growth is higher than other regions, hence the demand for electricity surpasses the planned increase of power supply. This means there is always a gap between supply and demand. This is a natural fit for Karpowership. Harezi says it can deliver between 25% to 80% of a country’s total electricity on one ship in less than 30 days. And there are “other advantages too” of this model.



“The regular infrastructure-related challenges of Africa are usually to do with project finance, construction risks, execution risks and the timeline. So, a project is usually promised to be operational in three years where as the project finance only lasts for two years and the actual construction takes another three to five years. So, the project that was promised for three years ends up not being finished for another eight years,” says Harezi.



Such solutions could give Africa a fighting chance in the Covid-19 vaccine race. With the company currently providing most of the national electricity in Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and Senegal, it seems poised to disrupt the African energy sector in a pandemic era.

image0 (2)

Floating Power: ‘No Excuse To Not Have Electricity’

Topline: “If we don’t do things differently, this will be the last Christmas for many South Africans,” said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, addressing the nation on Monday evening, as he announced more restrictions, some “with immediate effect”.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h4>



● South Africa is officially in its second wave, said president Ramaphosa during a live broadcast. On December 3, the country recorded over 4,400 new cases. Ten days later, South Africa recorded nearly 8,000 new cases. The cumulative number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa now stands at over 860,000.



● Ramaphosa said this figure is of “great concern” for the country.



● “Given the rate at which new cases have grown over the last two weeks, there is every possibility that if we do not act urgently and if we do not act together, the second wave will be more severe than the first wave,” he said.



● Furthermore, in a short amount of time, the daily average of coronavirus deaths has increased by nearly 50%. A figure that previously sat at 100 deaths a day is now over 150 deaths.



● The four provinces in South Africa that are leading the second wave are the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng.



● The reasons behind the increase vary from health protocols (no social distancing or masks being worn) not being followed to super-spreader events like large gatherings being held.



● “We have gotten into the Christmas spirit early and are inviting friends and family over for get-togethers,” Ramaphosa said. “Yet, it is our failure to closely adhere to all these basic precautions at all times that has brought us to this second wave.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-changes-made-by-the-south-african-government-to-contain-the-spread-of-the-virus">Key changes made by the South African government to contain the spread of the virus.</h4>



● Beaches and public parks in the Eastern Cape and the Garden Route in the Western Cape will be closed for the duration of the festive season from December 16 to January 3. In KZN, beaches and public parks will be closed for what are traditionally the busiest days of the holiday season.



● The curfew will start at 11PM and end at 4AM. Restaurants and bars will have to close at 10PM so that staff and patrons can get home before the enforcement of the curfew.



● Alcohol sales will also be restricted. Retail outlets are only permitted to sell alcohol between 10AM and 6PM from Monday to Thursday. However, registered wineries and wine farms may continue to offer tastings and wine sales to the public for off-site consumption over weekends. Alcohol consumption in all public spaces, such as beaches and parks, is strictly forbidden.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">Crucial Quote</h4>



“If we do not do things differently this festive season, we will greet the new year not with joy, but with sorrow. Many of our friends, relatives, and co-workers will be infected, some will get severely ill and some, tragically, will die&#8230; It is therefore essential that we take extraordinary measures to contain the second wave and save lives while working to protect livelihoods,” Ramaphosa said.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vaccine-update">Vaccine Update</h4>



In addition to enforcing stricter nationwide enforcement of existing lockdown alert level 1 restrictions, the president also announced that South Africa had concluded all the necessary processes to participate in the World Health Organization’s Covid-19 Global Vaccine Access Facility (COVAX).



“As part of this facility, it is expected that South Africa will receive initial vaccines to cover 10% of our population in the early part of next year,” Ramaphosa said.

South African President Ramaphosa visits the Mashatile family home to offer condolences

More Grave Second Wave In South Africa/Country To Receive Vaccines Early 2021

Although the world was struck by the Covid-19 Pandemic, other issues were also brought to the forefront in 2020. Here are the hashtags from Africa that caught the globe’s attention this year.



#ENDSars: Just as the country celebrated its diamond jubilee, police brutality protests started on October 7 in Nigeria calling for the disbanding of the infamous police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), which had long been accused of extortion, torture, and extra-judicial killings.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229378322-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49261" width="432" height="288" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229378322-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229378322-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229378322-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229378322-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229378322-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229378322-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Maciek Musialek/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



#CongoIsBleeding: Exploitation in the mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) received attention in October to highlight child slavery, deadly conflicts, and corruption spawned by the quest to feed mega-companies with minerals.



#ShutItAllDown: This was a wave of ongoing gender-based violence protests across Namibia aimed at stopping the spread of rape and the killing of women. According to CNN, the protests were in response to news of another attack, in turn, those protestors threatened to leave everything at a standstill for four days earlier in October.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1228977823-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49263" width="388" height="259" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1228977823-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1228977823-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1228977823-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1228977823-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1228977823-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1228977823-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 388px) 100vw, 388px" /><figcaption> (Photo by HILDEGARD TITUS/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



#ZimbabweanLivesMatter: A predominantly online demonstration to address the human rights abuses in Zimbabwe in August. According to The Guardian, the hashtag was ‘fashioned’ after the Black Lives Matter global protests staged since the killing of George Floyd by a US police officer in May. Furthermore, the incarceration of journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and the Booker Prize long-listed author Tsitsi Dangarembga has angered more people across Africa.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227856557-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49265" width="433" height="289" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227856557-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227856557-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227856557-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227856557-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 433px) 100vw, 433px" /><figcaption>Julie Barnes holds a placard during an anti-corruption protest march along Borrowdale road, on July 31, 2020 in Harare. (Photo by ZINYANGE AUNTONY/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



#RapeNationalEmergancy: On September 11, Liberian President George Weah declared rape a national emergency in the country. According to Al Jazeera, Weah introduced measures in place to address the increase in violence against women. Measures include a special prosecutor for rape in the country, as well as the set-up of a national sex offender registry and the establishment of a “national security task force” on sexual and gender-based violence.



#ChildTrafficking: This has been highlighted as a severe problem on cocoa farms in Ghana and Ivory Coast. According to a US study, the prevalence of children doing hazardous work, including using sharp tools, has also gone up in the world’s top two cocoa producers, reported Al Jazeera in October.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227845071-1024x678.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49266" width="444" height="294" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227845071-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227845071-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227845071-768x509.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227845071-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227845071-2048x1356.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1227845071-600x397.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Olukayode Jaiyeola/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



#Guinea: Guinea’s president, Alpha Condé, has won a “controversial third term” with 59.49% of the vote, the National Independent Electoral Commission declared on October 24. According to the Guardian, his victory came at the same time as widespread protests “violently suppressed by security forces”.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229107728-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49262" width="395" height="263" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229107728-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229107728-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229107728-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229107728-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229107728-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229107728-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 395px) 100vw, 395px" /><figcaption> Alpha Conde addresses his supporters at a campaign rally in Conakry on October 16, 2020. (Photo by JOHN WESSELS/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



#AnglophoneCrisis: Since October 2016, Cameroon’s Anglophone minority have been protesting due to sectoral grievances that morphed into political demands. On October 24 this year, the United Nations reported that eight children were killed and dozens wounded by a group of armed men at the Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy Kumba in the southwest region of Cameroon. Although the southwest region is one of two Anglophone regions, it was not clear if the attack was linked to a continuing struggle between government forces and armed groups in the English-speaking west seeking to form a breakaway state.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1154062693-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49268" width="418" height="278" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1154062693-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1154062693-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1154062693-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1154062693-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1154062693-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1154062693-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 418px) 100vw, 418px" /><figcaption> Anglophone village women pray in a church located in a hill village on May 12, 2019 a few miles outside Buea in SW Cameroon. (Photo by Giles Clarke/UNOCHA via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



#PrayForEthiopia: CNN reported on November 7 that a military conflict, which has raised fears of civil war, broke out due to Tigray&#8217;s Peoples Liberation Front’s (TPLF) unilateral decision to elect a regional administration against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s wishes. “Our operation aims to end the impunity that has prevailed for far too long and hold accountable individuals and groups under the laws of the land,” Abiy said on Twitter. According to the Herald Malaysia, this resulted in heavy casualties and thousands of civilians fleeing the region.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229977140-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49259" width="431" height="287" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229977140-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229977140-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229977140-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229977140-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229977140-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229977140-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 431px) 100vw, 431px" /><figcaption>TOPSHOT &#8211; An Ethiopian refugee who fled the Tigray conflict prays during Sunday Mass at an Ethiopian Orthodox church building built by former Ethiopian refugees, at the village next to Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, eastern Sudan, on December 6, 2020. (Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



#StopGBV: During the lockdown, gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa has become a second pandemic for the country. According to the Commission of Gender Equality, South Africa is ranked amongst the highest in Africa for domestic violence. At the end of July, Police Minister Bheki Cele released crime stats showing that sexual crimes in the country increased by 1.7%, with 53,293 cases reported. This is 873 cases more than in 2019.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1222580728-1024x710.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49267" width="389" height="270" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1222580728-1024x710.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1222580728-300x208.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1222580728-768x533.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1222580728-1536x1065.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1222580728-2048x1421.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1222580728-600x416.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 389px) 100vw, 389px" /><figcaption>Students protest against gender based violence (GBV) at parliament on June 24, 2020 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Nardus Engelbrecht/Gallo Images via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>

Untitled-1

What Was Trending In Africa In 2020?

Professor Barry Schoub, a world-renowned virologist, details the Covid-19 vaccine process and the innovations being made in the field as well as the involvement of Africa in these trials.



 



Q. Given how each phase within a clinical trial has been expedited to find a Covid-19 vaccine, do you think it will have the same effectiveness or efficacy as other vaccines used to combat infectious diseases similar in nature?



A. I think up to the Pfizer release, scientists, virologists, vaccinologists thought it would be a vaccine with a 60% efficacy. So these results are in the same ballpark as the influenza vaccine because it’s got a similar kind of disease process. It is only an interim analysis of course, but it certainly has very good connotations attached to it. It is also a possibility that the corona vaccines will have a higher protection rate than the influenza vaccine for example. However, it will not have the same efficacy rate as more successful vaccines such as the measles vaccine which has an efficacy of about 95% and therefore we do need to have some reservation.



Q. There are a number of vaccine types currently in trials. Pfizer and BioNTech are developing a genetic vaccine while Johnson &amp; Johnson are trialing a viral vector vaccine model they have used for finding an Ebola vaccine previously. Do you think the type of vaccine influences the efficacy rate?



A. These vaccines are all new, this has never been done on humans, so there is no definitive way to say. We’ve never had an RNA or DNA vaccine going into human beings and we’ve never had a virus vector going into human beings. Previous use of a viral vector for HIV vaccine trials didn’t go well because of pre-existing immunity to the adenovirus being used as the vessel. All of this is new territory and really in a way, unpredictable.



Q. What do you think of the innovations then made with these vaccines?



A. It’s very exciting and just the speed with which these vaccines have come out as well. This disease has only been with us from the beginning of the year, so it’s amazing as vaccines usually take years to develop.&nbsp;



Q. These trials are also being tested throughout the world, and given that South Africa is the only site in Africa with any of these trials happening, do you think there should be more testing sites in Africa?



A. I don’t think all of Africa needs involvement in trials per se… It would just be where there is prevalence of disease, for example, endemic diseases such as HIV and TB in southern Africa and more tropical diseases so these are scenarios that do need to be looked at.



Q. Do you think these trials have accounted for all necessary factors that could play a role in how successful the vaccines could be?



A. In European and American trials, there are still key populations missing in the evaluation of these vaccinations like the elderly or people with co-morbidities, so all of these factors do need to be evaluated. All the vaccines currently in Phase III lack the optimal populations, so they all have a set age parameter and these vaccines still need testing in high-risk populations.



Q. Do you see any potential barriers that could decrease the uptake of the vaccine?



A. Well… there’s always suspicion, and polls here and abroad have shown hesitance and reluctance. First of all, things have been done at such fast speeds so there are concerns about safety and also the novelty of these vaccines and that they haven’t been used on humans before. So these factors can lead to suspicion.&nbsp;



Q. Do you think there any possible solutions to this?



A. They need to be reassured that these do undergo very rigorous safety testing and this will prove to be an educational exercise.



Q. What are your thoughts on the eventual accessibility of the vaccine within Africa?



A. In the beginning, we could possibly get a relatively small proportion of vaccines for the population, so the initial batches will have to go to priority groups. This includes frontline workers as an example, people in elderly homes and other high-risk populations.



Q. Do you think initiatives such as CEPI could also see Africa receiving the vaccine sooner than anticipated?



A. Initiatives such as CEPI and COVAX are pooled procurement mechanisms, so these aim to provide both middle and low income countries with their initial supply of the vaccine when it becomes available. So the vaccination process will need to happen in two steps; first step would be to protect vulnerable groups and then only later try to achieve herd immunity.



<div class="wp-block-group"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow">
[IN NUMBERS] 



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-12-billion">$12 BILLION</h2>



In an African Union (AU) meeting in November to discuss Africa’s strategy for financing Covid-19 vaccines, AU Chairperson and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa noted that about $12 billion was required, and this was expected to come from three sources: the COVAX Donor Initiative, The World Bank, direct donors, and the African Import-Export Bank, which has committed to raising up to $5 billion.
</div></div>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">Further Reading</h4>



PLEASE NOTE:&nbsp;More stories regarding the Covid-19 vaccine will be published. However, if you would like to read the full Focus piece by Simone Sribrath, click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/product/single-digital-issue-dec-jan-2020/">here to download the digital copy of FORBES AFRICA.</a>



<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2020/12/07/what-goes-into-a-clinical-trial/">What Goes Into A Clinical Trial?&nbsp;(Forbes Africa)</a>



<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2020/12/07/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-vaccine/">All You Need To Know About The Vaccine (Forbes Africa)</a>



<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2020/12/10/qa-endemic-diseases-like-hiv-are-still-an-emergency/">Q&amp;A: ‘ENDEMIC DISEASES LIKE HIV ARE STILL AN EMERGENCY’ (Forbes Africa)</a>

maxresdefault

‘ALL OF THIS IS NEW TERRITORY AND REALLY IN A WAY, UNPREDICTABLE’

TOPLINE With optimism rising that an end to the coronavirus pandemic is in sight as shipments of Pfizer’s vaccine began Sunday, Bill Gates warned in a television interview that the U.S. was far from out of the woods yet and is facing what is likely to be the deadliest period over the winter.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



“Sadly the next four to six months could be the worst of the pandemic,” Gates, the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has committed significant resources to the quest for a vaccine, told CNN on Sunday.&nbsp;



Trucks pulled out of Pfizer’s factory in Michigan on Sunday laden with the first shipments in an initial distribution round of around 3 million doses, and Food And Drug Administration Dr. Stephen Hahn&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSotu/status/1338132165515730946?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;during a television interview Sunday he expects the first shots to be administered on Monday.&nbsp;



Healthcare workers and nursing home residents&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2020/12/01/cdc-panel-health-workers-and-nursing-homes-should-get-first-covid-vaccine-doses/">will get the vaccine first</a>, and it won’t be until the spring or summer before shots are widely available.&nbsp;&nbsp;



For that reason, health officials&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/08/covid-vaccines-fauci-says-virus-could-be-under-control-in-back-half-of-2021.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">say</a>&nbsp;the virus is not likely to be under control in the U.S. until the “back half of 2021”—as Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said—when most of the population, around 75%, is vaccinated, generating an “umbrella of herd immunity.”



“In the near term, it’s bad news,” Gates went on, citing an Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation&nbsp;<a href="https://covid19.healthdata.org/global?view=resource-use&amp;tab=trend&amp;resource=all_resources" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">model</a>&nbsp;that shows the U.S. could suffer more than 200,000 additional deaths by April 1, 2021 from the virus.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h4>



Pfizer’s vaccine will arrive at 145 distribution locations on Monday throughout all 50 states, with 425 more receiving shipments on Tuesday, and 66 on Wednesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to the Associated Press</a>. It will take up to three weeks for the first round of doses to be shipped out to all government-identified vaccine sites. The vaccine is being apportioned by state population.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h4>



The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at 94 degrees below zero, which has posed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielreed/2020/12/09/operation-warp-speed-now-comes-the-really-hard-part-delivering-10-billion-doxes-of-liquid-gold-quickly/?sh=5e2fcabe7e58">logistical issues</a>.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



Hahn said Sunday he doesn&#8217;t think allergic reactions to the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine will be a &#8220;highly frequent issue&#8221;: “We do not think that this is a highly frequent issue that will arise, but we do want to be careful because vaccine safety, medical product safety is top of mind for us,” the FDA chief said.



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">“We do not think that this is a highly frequent issue that will arise, but we do want to be careful because vaccine safety, medical product safety is top of mind for us.” &#8211; FDA chief Dr. Stephen Hahn on the possibility of allergic reactions to the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CNNSOTU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CNNSOTU</a> <a href="https://t.co/SfsaJJYQsw">pic.twitter.com/SfsaJJYQsw</a>&mdash; State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1338132703909191682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h4>



Asked to comment on President Trump’s executive order prioritizing Americans for vaccine shipments, Gates said: “Well, the extreme idea that everybody should die until we have the very last American vaccinated, that&#8217;s hardly the appropriate response.



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Bill Gates on Trump signing an executive order prioritizing the distribution of vaccines to Americans first: &quot;Well, the extreme idea that everybody should die until we have the very last American vaccinated, that&#39;s hardly the appropriate response.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/CcLT9uheSu">pic.twitter.com/CcLT9uheSu</a>&mdash; Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1338133587066032131?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h4>



$1.75 billion. That’s how much the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated to the fight against Covid-19,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2020/12/10/bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation-injects-another-250-million-into-the-battle-against-covid-19/?sh=32b5535b12d4">according to Forbes</a>.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2020/12/12/pfizer-covid-vaccine-expected-to-arrive-in-all-50-states-by-monday/?sh=4a0fd1ac467e">Pfizer Covid Vaccine Expected To Arrive In All 50 States By Monday</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2020/12/10/bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation-injects-another-250-million-into-the-battle-against-covid-19/?sh=32b5535b12d4">Bill And Melinda Gates’ Foundation Injects Another $250 Million Into The Battle Against Covid-19</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



by Jack Brewster, Forbes Staff

2019 New York Times Dealbook

Gates Says Next 4-6 Months Could Be ‘Worst Of Pandemic’ As Vaccine Shipments Roll Out

Dr. Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Director of Research at the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa:



Q. Currently, clinical trials can take years to reach Phase IV. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us how much quicker it can go. Do you think there are lessons that can be taken from this?



A: We have learned a lot during the Covid-19 pandemic about how we can potentially expedite processes and get products to the people that need them rapidly and I think it’s important to remember that in our region, endemic diseases like HIV are still an emergency. While we don’t want to cut corners and while we want to ensure that we have safe and effective products for people, something that Covid-19 vaccine trials may need to grapple with is no longer using placebo-control trials as it is harder to justify from an ethical perspective, especially as more vaccines begin to hit the market.



Q. What does this then mean from a design perspective for trials going forward?



A. Trial design is going to be very interesting to see going forward. In terms of just the processes, there have been discussions about how to diminish the transition time from Phase II to Phase III and these large gaps that affect when results are being received.&nbsp;



Q. What lessons are there for clinical trials running during a pandemic such as the current one?&nbsp;



A. Future trials are going to have to Covid-proof themselves. We learned during conducting our trial, sibling trials during a pandemic are challenging and we’re going to have to think about how we do these studies so that we are managing staff and participant safety. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">Further Reading</h4>



PLEASE NOTE:&nbsp;More stories regarding the Covid-19 vaccine will be published. However, if you would like to read the full Focus piece by Simone Sribrath, click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/product/single-digital-issue-dec-jan-2020/">here to download the digital copy of FORBES AFRICA.</a>



<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2020/12/07/what-goes-into-a-clinical-trial/">What Goes Into A Clinical Trial? (Forbes Africa)</a>



<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2020/12/07/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-vaccine/">All You Need To Know About The Vaccine (Forbes Africa)</a>

Medical technician preparing a human sample for HIV testing

Q&A: ‘ENDEMIC DISEASES LIKE HIV ARE STILL AN EMERGENCY’

The complex world of Covid-19 vaccine trials explained.



SOMEWHERE IN THE DEEP UNEXPLORED depths of Madagascar, an unknown herb is probably on its way to becoming a global panacea for the pandemic



This is Africa, a continent ripe with possibilities, where you cannot rule out that a cure for Covid-19 could perhaps come from nature itself. Just like Madagascar, currently touting Artemisia Afra (umhlonyane in Nguni languages and previously used as an ingredient for treating malaria) as a potential cure for Covid-19, bigger economies like South Africa are also looking to the botanical world for answers. Its national Department of Basic Education has reassigned R15 million ($960,982) of its budget on Covid-19 interventions such as Artemisia. Nigeria has also made a move towards a more homeopathic approach, as a ministerial committee has been put in place to further examine the potential natural compounds hold in combating the Covid-19 pandemic.



But the focus of this story is exploring humanity’s race to uncover a universal vaccine – or any cure – that can assuage a health crisis confronting the entire world.



Currently, there are over 60 possible vaccines the world over being put through the paces. Of these, only nine are in the third<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2020/12/07/what-goes-into-a-clinical-trial/"> phase of trials.</a> The road to finding a Covid-19 vaccine since the start of the pandemic this year has been long and arduous. For the layperson, desperate to see an effective vaccine come online soon, the deluge of news on vaccine trials can seem complex. This article will discern the facts around them.



In comparison to its European and American counterparts, Africa has seen a relatively lower rate of virus spread and a lower death rate. As of November 11, Africa accounted for 3.7% of the world’s total number of cases; and southern Africa the worst hit with over 800,000 cases.



Scientists are yet to definitively map out the effects of the Covid-19 virus and its ability to recur within individuals who have had it before. Fear of public spaces and physical interactions have become the norm. Face masks and sanitizing products have become staples in every handbag and car cubbyhole.



Put simply, a clinical trial is a series of phases within an experiment being conducted to test a new drug, type of therapy or new medical device. It also looks at the efficacy of pre-existing medical interventions in the treatment of numerous illnesses and different types of patients.



Clinical trials can be performed on both healthy and ill participants. There are a number of protocols and regulations that accompany a clinical trial to ensure that the wellbeing of the participant is maintained as far as possible. It ensures that the benefits of the medical intervention being tested outweigh the risks and each phase of a trial plays a part in testing this.



Clinical trials usually happen in four phases. Before these phases occur, a preclinical test is done. Each phase needs to produce a favorable result in order for the next phase to be conducted. In order for a medical intervention to get to the stage of manufacturing and distribution, all four phases need to have occurred successfully. The success of each phase is measured by the number of medically adverse events that have occurred as a result of the medical intervention being tested. These adverse events include mild to serious medical side-effects that have occurred to the participants of the trial.



Dr. Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Director of Research at the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa explains how innovations made with expediting the clinical trials for the Covid-19 vaccine could reshape how clinical trials are done across the board. She has also been the lead on HPTN 084, an injectable form of an antiretroviral (ARV) used to prevent HIV in women in sub-Saharan Africa.



The frantic search for a Covid-19 vaccine is being closely watched by every country on earth. At the time of going to press mid-November, there were currently 51 trials between Phases I and III of the clinical trials. When they will be available to all is a question on everyone’s mind.



South Africa’s Health Minister, talking to FORBES AFRICA about vaccine manufacturers, says: “Collaboration across global institutions has led to the transfer of technology and therefore new developments and new discoveries in combating the pandemic.”



In an interview with Aspen Pharmacare CEO and founder, Stephen Saad, he highlights to FORBES AFRICA the need for efficient manufacturing and distribution channels for the vaccine, once it becomes available. Aspen recently partnered with Johnson &amp; Johnson for their vaccine Ad26.COV2-S(now known as JNJ-78436735). This partnership will see the manufacturing and distribution capacity of Johnson &amp; Johnson increase significantly.



Saad explains that Aspen uses just 40% of their current manufacturing capacity for their own products and the other 60% was available for use. “Covid-19 is prevalent everywhere. We were very committed to trying to find a partner that would use our capabilities to be able to provide a vaccine,” says Saad.



At the heart of the partnership is the transfer of technology as Johnson &amp; Johnson share their protocols and blueprint for creating the vaccine so they are able to manufacture it once it has passed Phase III trials.



“We are very pleased because Johnson &amp; Johnson have made big commitments to distribute their vaccine universally, so they’ve made commitments through the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation and to their own public statements about offering up 500 million doses to the developing world,&#8221; says Saad.&nbsp;



The manufacturing site in Port Elizabeth in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province will be utilized in this partnership where as many as 300 million doses can be produced and this is expected to begin the second quarter of next year should the Ad26.COV2-S proves successful.



“So much depends on the trials and the success of these trials,” says Saad. Aspen, having been linked to the success of the steroid Dexamethasone, and now as a vaccine frontrunner, have proven their reputation as a pharmaceutical powerhouse.



With an investment of R3 billion ($194 million) into their “sterile site”, Saad is confident. “There’s not a lot of companies that can manufacture on this scale,” he says.



Saad recognizes the urgency for a vaccine. “Our first and only priority right now is to get the product out to the world and our focus is on the job that we have to do very quickly over the next period.”



Currently, the only African country involved in the trial phases of these vaccines has been South Africa across different sites. Progress is being made by Oxford University as they await final clearance to begin trials in Kenya and the Uganda Virus Research Institute is aiming to collaborate with the Imperial College London and begin trials in Uganda in December.



Historically, only 2% of all vaccine trials have occurred on the African continent, according to a report in The Lancet.



Despite being no stranger to viral outbreaks, Africa as a whole is often excluded from the vaccine process and as such there is a severe lack of understanding of the African context when trialing a potential vaccine or medical intervention.



There are several factors that could possibly hinder the efficient and comprehensive administration of a Covid-19 vaccine when it eventually becomes available.



Accessibility to the vaccine is seen as a key issue, particularly within developing countries. While there are several initiatives such as the investments made by Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations as well as the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation, African countries are still amongst the last buyers of any possible vaccine that emerges.



There is surely light at the end of the tunnel but it may be a while before a cure will finally see the light of day.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">Further Reading </h4>



PLEASE NOTE: More stories regarding the Covid-19 vaccine will be published. However, if you would like to read the full Focus piece by Simone Sribrath, click <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/product/single-digital-issue-dec-jan-2020/">here to download the digital copy of FORBES AFRICA. </a>



<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2020/12/07/what-goes-into-a-clinical-trial/">What Goes Into A Clinical Trial? (Forbes Africa)</a>



<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2020/12/10/qa-endemic-diseases-like-hiv-are-still-an-emergency/">Q&amp;A: ‘ENDEMIC DISEASES LIKE HIV ARE STILL AN EMERGENCY (Forbes Africa) </a>

Dialing medicine into syringe from glass bottle. Ampoule and syringe needle close-up.

All You Need To Know About The Covid-19 Vaccine

This story is part of the &#8216;<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2020/12/07/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-vaccine/">All You Need To Know About The Vaccine</a>&#8216; piece. 



Preclinical Phase



This phase within a study is most intensive and can often require the most amount of time and extensive research into possible cellular reactions between the intervention being investigated and the body’s immune response. This phase is often tested thoroughly with the use of animal test subjects before proceeding to Phase I.



Phase I&nbsp;



This initial phase is conducted on a relatively small number of participants (six-10). It allows scientists to closely study and examine any effects or interactions that the intervention being investigated has in human participants. This phase is used to determine the safety and tolerability elements that an intervention may have in treating human participants. Participants are closely watched for the possible occurrence and severity of any side-effects that may occur.



Phase II&nbsp;



The size of the participant pool could vary greatly here as the size is dependent on the type of illness being investigated (typically between 20-300 participants). In this phase, the dosage is often experimented with. This is done to successfully determine the dosage required for the intervention to be most effective and safe to administer. Different dosages of the intervention could produce different results. As such, multiple simulations of Phase II may occur for a single intervention, being tested within numerous populations of interest.



Phase III&nbsp;



As with Phase II, the sample increases substantially (300-3,000 participants). These large numbers are used to confirm the level of safety and efficacy of the medical intervention. This phase also allows for a significant comparison between the drug being tested and other similar interventions on the market. It can also be used to test the efficacy of the intervention when used as part of a treatment plan and it tests the interactions it has with other medical interventions within the treatment plan. Finally, this phase allows for the prescribed dosage to be finalized.



Phase IV



The last and final phase occurs after regulatory approval has been granted. This phase looks at the long-term administration of the medical intervention and possible side-effects that could occur as a result of prolonged use of the intervention. This phase tests the overall efficacy and safety of the intervention within larger groups and sub-groups within a population. By this phase, the occurrence of any serious medical events has been resolved and the intervention becomes available as a viable treatment option within the sub-area of the medical market. Regulatory bodies keep a close eye on the intervention as it continues to monitor the administration of the intervention to the general public. Doing this ensures that any medical intervention currently in the public domain or in the clinical trial phase is entirely safe for human use.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">Further Reading </h4>



PLEASE NOTE: More stories regarding the Covid-19 vaccine will be published. However, if you would like to read the full Focus piece by Simone Sribrath, click <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/product/single-digital-issue-dec-jan-2020/">here to download the digital copy of FORBES AFRICA.</a>



<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2020/12/07/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-vaccine/">All You Need To Know About The Vaccine</a> (Forbes Africa)



<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2020/12/10/qa-endemic-diseases-like-hiv-are-still-an-emergency/">Q&amp;A: ‘ENDEMIC DISEASES LIKE HIV ARE STILL AN EMERGENCY (Forbes Africa)</a>

Florida Volunteers Take Part In COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

What Goes Into A Clinical Trial?

Topline: As people begin to prepare for the festive season, South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has once again taken to the podium to warn the country that until a vaccine is developed and distributed, citizens are to remain vigilant. With that being said, the President has yet again extended the National State of Disaster to January 15, 2021. 



Key Facts



<ul><li>Though it was clear that a second wave would be possible, Ramaphosa was adamant on Thursday evening that evidence of a resurgence of infections in parts of the country “could lead to great suffering and death” if not confronted. </li><li>Since August, South Africa was able to keep the rate of new infections stable. However, on Wednesday evening, South Africa’s National Department of Health reported that the country recorded over 4000 new cases in a single day. </li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">As of today, the cumulative total of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> cases is 796 472 with 4 173 new cases identified since the last report. Total Deaths: Regrettably, 65 more COVID-19 related deaths have been reported which brings the total to 21 709 deaths. <a href="https://t.co/rk2ZKKdWt7">pic.twitter.com/rk2ZKKdWt7</a>&mdash; National Department of Health (@HealthZA) <a href="https://twitter.com/HealthZA/status/1334212248605233154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<ul><li>Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, has been declared a Covid-19 hotspot. With this, the municipality will have strict restrictions put in places like a curfew and limited days to purchase alcohol.&nbsp;</li><li>Also accounting for some of the new infections are the Sarah Baartman District in the Eastern Cape and the Garden Route District in the Western Cape.&nbsp;</li><li>“As I said during <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2020/11/11/south-african-president-extends-national-state-of-disaster-by-a-month-and-appeals-to-the-country-to-not-get-complacent/">our last family meeting</a>, at alert level 1, we have the measures we need to control the virus,” Ramaphosa said on a live broadcast. “But our main problem is that there are parts of the country where people are not complying with the current restrictions and the basic prevention measures are not being followed.”&nbsp;</li></ul>



Key Reason Behind the Increase in Transmission in South Africa



<ul><li>Ramaphosa stated that one particular reason behind the rise is that many South Africans are traveling between provinces with high numbers of people, especially with the festive season approaching.&nbsp;</li><li>Furthermore, social, cultural, and religious gatherings are being held in large numbers. These are more numbers than what is permitted under the Alert Level 1 restrictions.&nbsp;</li><li>“What is concerning is that these are also often held in venues with poor ventilation. This is particularly the case for funerals, which are often followed by large so-called “after tears” parties,” the president said.&nbsp;</li><li>However, the main problem is that people are not complying with the current restrictions and the basic prevention measures are not being followed, such as wearing a mask or social distancing.&nbsp;</li></ul>



Crucial Quote&nbsp;



“As much as we want to relax, the virus does not relax. It does not take a holiday. This has been a difficult year for us as a country. It has severely tested our resolve and demanded great sacrifices of each and every one of us. But even as the holidays approach, we cannot let our guard down,” Ramaphosa said.

Interview with South Africa’s President Ramaphosa

South African President Urges Continued Vigilance Against Virus

TOPLINE As governments around the world begin to approve and roll out Covid-19 vaccines, the international police agency Interpol <a href="https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2020/INTERPOL-warns-of-organized-crime-threat-to-COVID-19-vaccines" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">issued</a> a warning Wednesday of an oncoming “onslaught” of criminal activity, both online and physically, linked to Covid-19 vaccines.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



In the notice, which was sent out to authorities in 194 countries, the agency warned that organized crime networks are “planning to infiltrate or disrupt [vaccine] supply chains,” possibly selling fake vaccines and targeting unsuspecting members of the public with fake websites and products.&nbsp;



It said the pandemic has “already triggered unprecedented opportunistic and predatory criminal behaviour” and that it is “essential that law enforcement is as prepared as possible” for the imminent “onslaught of all types of criminal activity.”&nbsp;



As well as targeting vaccines, the agency predicts “a parallel production and distribution of unauthorized and falsified testing kits” and a proliferation of online scams.&nbsp;



The agency warned that criminals would also be targeting flu vaccines, and urged close cooperation between health and police authorities in order to safeguard the public.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



As Covid-19 vaccines start to be approved and distributed around the world, the big question is who will get them first. To begin with, and likely well into 2021, supplies will fall far short of demand, even in the countries that have preemptively&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2020/10/26/who-warns-of-dangerous-moment-amid-spike-in-covid-19-cases/?sh=4927103e244c">bought up</a>&nbsp;most of the world’s supplies. Numerous countries will be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2020/12/01/cdc-panel-health-workers-and-nursing-homes-should-get-first-covid-vaccine-doses/?sh=60d80a1320cd">prioritizing</a>&nbsp;at-risk groups and frontline medical workers and many more will struggle to get any vaccines at all, leaving ample room for exploitation by criminals.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h4>



1,700.&nbsp;Interpol’s Cybercrime Unit found that of 3,000 websites associated with online pharmacies suspected of selling illicit medicines and medical devices, around 1,700 contained cyber threats like phishing and malware.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-peg">NEWS PEG</h4>



The U.K. became the first country to clinically&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2020/12/02/uk-approves-pfizer-biontechs-covid-19-vaccine-the-first-country-to-do-so/?sh=3b2ac199539d">approve</a>&nbsp;a Covid-19 vaccine Wednesday, authorizing Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for emergency use. A decision in the U.S. is expected next week.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2020/12/02/uk-approves-pfizer-biontechs-covid-19-vaccine-the-first-country-to-do-so/?sh=3b2ac199539d">U.K. Grants Emergency Approval Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 Vaccine, The First Country To Do So</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2020/12/02/heres-why-the-uk-beat-the-us-to-approve-a-covid-19-vaccine-for-emergency-use/?sh=795ab71b1af9">Here’s Why The U.K. Beat The U.S. To Approve A Covid-19 Vaccine For Emergency Use</a> (Forbes)



-By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff

Italy Continues To Struggle With A Worsening Covid-19 Situation

Organized Criminals Are Targeting Covid-19 Vaccines, Interpol Warns

TOPLINE As the bull market for stocks rages on and even bests pre-pandemic levels, some American households are bouncing back much more slowly than others, unearthing a pattern indicative of a K-shaped (or lopsided) economic recovery, Goldman Sachs said on Sunday–and without additional fiscal relief, it could take years for employment to fully recover.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



The biggest driver of the K-shaped recovery taking shape is that pandemic job losses were &#8220;highly concentrated in virus-sensitive industries&#8221; like retail, leisure and hospitality–all of which disproportionately employ low-wage workers, Goldman analyst Joseph Briggs wrote in a weekend note.



Some companies have turned to technology in an effort to boost productivity in the absence of real workers, and it’s working (which is bad news for American workers): Productivity is up 4% this year despite major job losses, according to Moody&#8217;s Analytics, which now estimates the 22 million jobs lost this spring won’t come back until early 2024.



While stimulus measures have helped keep overall disposable income afloat during the pandemic, Americans making less than $30 per hour are feeling the most economic pain.



Slowed wage growth has also been markedly worse for lower-income workers–further contributing to the disparate economic recovery, the Goldman report goes on to say.



Goldman projects a lack of new fiscal relief will cause a fourth-quarter decline in disposable income that will hit the bottom 25% of earners &#8220;particularly hard,&#8221; while also weighing on consumer spending this winter.



The outlook for lower-income workers will get &#8220;significantly worse&#8221; if Congress doesn&#8217;t pass another fiscal stimulus package of at least $700 billion in the first quarter, Goldman notes, adding that additional relief coupled with widespread vaccination could actually help yield a V-shaped recovery, which is characteristic of a quicker, more equitable economic bounceback.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



&#8220;The largest pandemic casualties have been less productive industries including retailing, leisure and hospitality, while the biggest winners have been in more productive industries like technology, wholesaling and professional services,&#8221; Moody&#8217;s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi said in a weekend note, adding that within industries, smaller businesses have fared worse than their larger, more productive counterparts, which are more able to afford large investments in technology and organizational changes. &#8220;This is clearest in retail. Tens of thousands of mom and pop retailers have failed and mid-sized publicly traded retailers have filed for bankruptcy, while the retailing behemoths gobbled up market share. They knew those changes would entail difficulty for their labor forces, [but] the pandemic has effectively given businesses cover to make these wrenching changes.&#8221;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



November marked the best month for stocks in over 30 years, but the labor market and other economic indicators are flashing serious warning signs. Despite record-low mortgage rates, higher costs pushed pre-owned home sales down in October for a second month in a row, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors released on Monday, and new manufacturing data showed that production output and new factory orders are also falling as Covid-19 cases surge to new highs nationwide. “Storm clouds are gathering,” George Ratiu, a senior economist at Realtor.com&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy/u-s-housing-manufacturing-data-suggest-economic-recovery-slowing-idUSKBN28A2IX?il=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told Reuters on Monday</a>. “This winter could pose an unusual challenge for many people across the country, unless Congress takes significant actions.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h4>



Potential relief before January. Goldman says it expects Congress to pass a small fiscal package in December that could extend the expanded unemployment insurance benefits set to expire at year’s end.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h4>



Despite highly encouraging vaccine-trial results from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca in the past month, a &#8220;parabolic&#8221; surge in the number of Covid-19 infections is threatening to overwhelm hospitals around the country and has already triggered new lockdown measures on businesses. In a note to clients last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2020/11/23/13-million-americans-lose-jobs-covid-cases-skyrocket-but-double-dip-recession-is-unlikely-moodys/">Moody&#8217;s said</a>&nbsp;the resurgent virus could stall or even backtrack the economic recovery in the coming months and force another 1.3 million Americans into unemployment.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2020/11/23/13-million-americans-lose-jobs-covid-cases-skyrocket-but-double-dip-recession-is-unlikely-moodys/">1.3 Million More Americans Could Lose Their Jobs As Daily Covid Cases Skyrocket, But A Double-Dip Recession Is Unlikely, Says Moody’s</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2020/11/24/dow-jones-industrial-average-hits-record-30000/">Dow Jones Industrial Average Hits Record 30,000–Reaching A Historic Milestone As 11 Million Americans Remain Unemployed Amid Pandemic</a> (Forbes)



-By Jonathan Ponciano, Forbes Staff

Tag: covid-19 recovery

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA