The Impact of COVID-19 on Africa: Health and Economic Implications

ABSTRACT

The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) presents a difficult journey ahead for public health sectors and economies of African. This chapter analyses Africa's public service infrastructure deficits while considering the health and macroeconomic implications of coronavirus for the continent. To assess Africa's national and continental disease outbreak preparedness, the available COVID-19 data is analyzed against several risk factors like physician availability, access to basic sanitation, and drinking water services derived from the World Health Organization and World Bank. The macroeconomic impact of the pandemic on the economies of African countries is explored with a focus on sectors such as merchandise trade, agriculture, tourism, and oil with current data. The analysis indicates serious gaps in access to adequate public health and how this has negative implications for economic stability. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.