Scientists mystified, wary, as Africa avoids COVID disaster

Yahoo ^ | 11/19/2021 | MARIA CHENG and FARAI MUTSAKA

[Jan_Sobieski]

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — At a busy market in a poor township outside Harare this week, Nyasha Ndou kept his mask in his pocket, as hundreds of other people, mostly unmasked, jostled to buy and sell fruit and vegetables displayed on wooden tables and plastic sheets. As in much of Zimbabwe, here the coronavirus is quickly being relegated to the past, as political rallies, concerts and home gatherings have returned.

“COVID-19 is gone, when did you last hear of anyone who has died of COVID-19?” Ndou said. “The mask is to protect my pocket,” he said. “The police demand bribes so I lose money if I don’t move around with a mask.” Earlier this week, Zimbabwe recorded just 33 new COVID-19 cases and zero deaths, in line with a recent fall in the disease across the continent, where World Health Organization data show that infections have been dropping since July.

When the coronavirus first emerged last year, health officials feared the pandemic would sweep across Africa, killing millions. Although it’s still unclear what COVID-19’s ultimate toll will be, that catastrophic scenario has yet to materialize in Zimbabwe or much of the continent…

[Wuli]

A little known report in the spring of 2020 told how people who had had the TB vaccine seemed less susceptible to the Covid19 virus, for reasons that were unclear.

Many western countries no longer have widespread use of the TB vaccine because TB is rare in the west.

But most less developed countries, like all of Africa, have widespread use of the TB vaccine.

The following link has a world map that shows how much the TB vaccine is used in each country.

http://www.bcgatlas.org/

The next link shows the Covid19 experience since 4/1/2020 by country (U.S., EU, India, China, Nigeria)

[Wuli]

A little known report in the spring of 2020 told how people who had had the TB vaccine seemed less susceptible to the Covid19 virus, for reasons that were unclear.

Many western countries no longer have widespread use of the TB vaccine because TB is rare in the west.

But most less developed countries, like all of Africa, have widespread use of the TB vaccine.

The following link has a world map that shows how much the TB vaccine is used in each country.

http://www.bcgatlas.org/

The next link shows the Covid19 experience since 4/1/2020 by country (U.S., EU, India, China, Nigeria)

https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=ind&areas=chn&areas=nga&areas=eur&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usla&areasRegional=usnd&areasRegional=usak&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=ustn&cumulative=0&logScale=0&per100K=1&startDate=2020-04-01&values=deaths

[A strike]

“Can you say Ivermectin ?
I knew that you could. “

Except ‘mystified’ “scientists” and toadies.

[Hiddigeigei]

"One word: hydroxychloroquine."
Another word: ivermectin. To ward off River Blindness.

[DugwayDuke]

Here are some other theories about the low death rate.

https://qz.com/africa/2049407/why-has-covid-19-had-less-of-an-impact-in-africa/

[Jan_Sobieski]

Don’t fret, Kenya is making the shot compulsory.

Some African countries are warming to the idea of removing people from the dole

[Chuckster]

Mostly because they are not the pampered layabouts that civilized Westerners are and they simply do not have hours upon hours to suck up the constant propaganda telling them to be afraid.

[WASCWatch]

I have a friend that runs a ministry in Kenya. You can go to any pharmacy and get all the hydroxychloriquine or Ivermectin cocktails of drugs for less than three dollars; OVER THE COUNTER.

[Republican Wildcat]

Why no COVID? Because they are not vaccinated!

Yes, of course, just like there was no COVID anywhere before vaccines started being distributed in December 2020...

Total nonsense - a statement you obviously should know is false, but say it anyway.

[CatHerd]

Ivermectin for river blindness in Africa 2020 (ivermectin areas in purple) Total people on ivermectin for river blindness = less than 30 million, or less than 3% of the total population) Source: https://espen.afro.who.int/diseases/onchocerciasis

Areas of MDA for elephantiasis (albendazole+ivermectin OR albendazole+diethylcarbamazine) in purple. Total persons on these medicines for eradication of elephantiasis in 2018 numbered 212.7 million (about 20% of total population). Since then a number of areas have switched from MDA to surveillance, so total number of persons should be less for 2020:

Total Covid cases (cumulative) by country:

Sorry, does not look like ivermectin is the reason to me.

This article has already been posted and discussed here:

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4014184/posts

And here:

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4014293/posts

For discussion of above, see my post here: https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4014184/posts?page=124#124

[GingisK]

Scientists. That term has lost its shine.

[A strike]

Your colorful pictures are meaningless and do nothing to explain the narrative you are trying to advance.

Your previous ‘Q’ distractions about FR discounts whatever it is you think you are trying to say.

Also “I’m not a newbie, the dog ate my password.”
Oh, really? What was your previous name?

Not buyin’ it newbie troll.

[A strike]

See post 19

[CatHerd]

That is an old map of APOC countries. APOC was discontinued in 2O15 and replaced by ESPEN AFRO. Also, ivermectin was not “universally distributed” in those countries as they claim in your link, but only in high-risk villages.

See my post here #30

https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4015279/posts?page=30#30

where I posted a map of areas where ivermectin was distributed (ESPEN AFRO) in 2020. About 30 million people were covered in 2020, less than 3% of total population. Under both the APOC and ESPEN AFRO programs, ivermectin was/is taken annually or semi-annually, not continually, as your source seems to believe. Ivermectin areas are in purple on that map.

Meanwhile, your source admittedly relied on “a map posted to social media”.

More people (212.7 million total in 2018, or about 20% of total population) are covered under the ESPEN AFRO program for elephantiasis. I posted the map for that as well. Again, treatment areas are in purple. And again, the drugs are administered once per year or once every six months, not continually.

Just as an example, because Mozambique is nearly all purple on that map, while neighboring Tanzania is purple-free, let’s look at Covid rates in those countries. Cumulative cases per million in Mozambique are much higher (5,000) than in Tanzania (500). The opposite of what one would expect if ivermectin worked. Or how about Guinea, nearly all purple, with around 2,300 cases per million (cumulative) vs about 1,200 in neighbouring purple-free Liberia. Again the opposite of what one would expect if ivermectin worked.

Meanwhile, your source assumed everyone in certain countries, based on an old map identifying countries participating in APOC, takes ivermectin all the time, when actually less than 30 million (continent-wide, less than 3% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa) in high-risk areas take it once or twice per year for eradication of river blindness.

Many more people (212.7 million) were given medication usually including ivermectin for eradication of elephantiasis (ivermectin not given in areas of river blindness), as seen in the second map.

As you can see, it does not seem to affect Covid rates.

[CatHerd]

See post #34.

[Pajamajan]

Could it be Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine?

🤔

Maybe they need to use science instead of $cience to look into this.

[CatHerd]

You are the one getting all hot and bothered and name calling.

I could care less if you or others take ivermectin, or believe in it. It’s fine by me. I would never stop anyone from taking it or tell them not to.

I had hopes for it at first, but at this point it does not appear to be very effective. I truly very much wish it were. It’s cheap, safe and widely available. It is a wonderful drug. I have seen no credible evidence it is particularly effective against Covid, though.

If you trust The Expose and that site linked in post #19, that’s your prerogative. Again, fine by me.

[A strike]

What’s your previous name?

otherwise troll

[A strike]

UttarPradesh ?

crickets

[A strike]

The article about ‘mystified’ “scientists” (Oh My!) was not from your boogieman The Expose, but rather from a source I’m sure you trust : Yahoo!