COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa: The Need for Investment in Research

Abstract

Despite the discovery of a vaccine, there are still growing concerns about the COVID-19 virus. While many western countries have made resource investments into health research, this is a challenging aspect for a lot of African countries. For a region with a lot of experience in epidemics, there has not been efficient investment in health research. Rather, there is a lot of over reliance on the west for vaccine production and development of protocols that are challenging to implement in African countries such as storage conditions for vaccines and access to clean water. A takeaway from the COVID-19 pandemic is that even in a global economic disruption, most countries will seek to aid their citizens and improve their well-being before outsourcing resources to third-world countries. So, it is imperative that Africa as a continent invest heavily in health research, education, medical infrastructure, and development to better prepare for future pandemics.