Factors associated with COVID-19 infections and mortality in Africa: a cross-sectional study using publicly available data.
BMJ Open
; 10(11): e042750, 2020 11 11.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-920923
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The current COVID-19 pandemic is a global threat. This elicits questions on the level of preparedness and capacity of health systems to respond to emergencies relative to other parts of the world.METHODS:
This cross-sectional study uses publicly available core health data for 53 African countries to determine risk factors for cumulative COVID-19 deaths and cases per million in all countries in the continent. Descriptive statistics were determined for the indicators, and a negative binomial regression was used for modelling the risk factors.RESULTS:
In sub-Saharan Africa, an increase in the number of nursing and midwifery personnel decreased the risk of COVID-19 deaths (p=0.0178), while a unit increase in universal healthcare (UHC) index of service coverage and prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults increased the risk of COVID-19 deaths (p=0.0432 and p=0.0127). An increase in the proportion of infants initiating breast feeding reduced the number of cases per million (p<0.0001), while an increase in higher healthy life expectancy at birth increased the number of cases per million (p=0.0340).CONCLUSION:
Despite its limited resources, Africa's preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic can be improved by identifying and addressing specific gaps in the funding of health services delivery. These gaps impact negatively on service delivery in Africa, which requires more nursing personnel and increased UHC coverage to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Breast Feeding
/
Exercise
/
Health Status Indicators
/
Life Expectancy
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Universal Health Care
/
Health Workforce
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
English
Journal:
BMJ Open
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Bmjopen-2020-042750
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