In the US and the UK, people of colour have less wealth and, so, access to healthcare; imagine how much worse it is for SA’s poorestLittle social-distancing in Langa township amid the Covid-19 lockdown in Cape Town. Picture: REUTERS/SUMAYA HISHAM
Understanding the impact Covid-19 will have on the poor in SA — widely acknowledged as one of the most unequal countries in the world — is critical to a well-considered humanitarian response. In the UK, The Guardian reported that the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre found that 35% of almost 2,000 coronavirus patients were non-white — nearly triple the 13% proportion in the UK population as a whole.
What this means for towns and cities is that proactively assessing environmental factors that highlight vulnerable groups could work as a valuable proactive tool to mitigate the impact of Covid-19. Understanding vulnerability allows authorities to deploy resources optimally; not only medical resources, but also information campaigns to prepare and empower those most vulnerable with tools to protect themselves and their families.
The government is currently co-ordinating the deployment of resources through inter-governmental disaster management functions at the district level if there is existing municipal capacity or, if necessary, through national departments directly, via the National Command Council. If infection rates increase exponentially, identifying and targeting areas most susceptible to contagion will be critical.
Thanks to the ANC the number of poor have grown exponentially. Now that we have a dilemma, the ANC wants to make out that they are the know all and be all...
What I see on the photo are TV dishes on top of each other! Poor? I don't have one!
Who would have guessed?