Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Coronavirus COVID-19 in Nigeria, Africa

Q1. At present, COVID-19 has largely been a disease of the developed world. Even so, it has presented significant challenges for developed world nations such as the United States to contain its spread. What unique challenges are presented by Africa’s developing world nations in containing a disease for which there is no vaccine, and which is transmitted through social contact?
Q2. Unlike the West, Africa has already faced a relatively recent pandemic, that of Ebola. How are the challenges posed by COVID-19 similar to those posed by Ebola? How are they different? What particular precautions must be undertaken that were not necessary during the Ebola crisis, and how may existing resources be used to help fight COVID-19? What can be learned from the Ebola crisis, particularly from physicians who were there, treating patients at the time?
Q3. How is it possible to meaningfully introduce social distancing into an African context? African societies are often highly dependent upon social relationships to sustain community life. People, particularly those in poverty, often live extremely close together. What measures might be necessary to ensure that separation of the sick is possible, particularly given that the quarantine period can be extremely long for the disease? What type of restrictions might be necessary to place on unnecessary businesses and activities, and how to support the economy to encourage people to obey the restrictions? Even in the United States, people have been reluctant to adhere to guidelines, because of the economic effects they may have, and this may be exacerbated in Africa.
Q4. Adequate supplies for healthcare workers have proven to be a critical issue for healthcare providers, even in the relatively well-funded hospital systems of New York City, California, and New Jersey. This is likely to be exacerbated in Africa, even under the best case scenario for COVID-19, so how should this fact be addressed? How will Africa be able to engage in the necessary intensive care, not simply for supplies like supplemental oxygen, but also for the necessary infrastructure to support equipment like ventilators?
Q5. Everyone is hoping for a vaccine to treat the disease within the 12-18 months, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is itself providing funding and support for such a remedy. How far are we away from developing such a needed vaccine? What are the necessary types of testing for the vaccine? What types of biological mechanisms to provide immunity for the disease would a vaccine likely employ? If a vaccine is developed, how will it be financed? And how will the vaccine be distributed through Africa, and financially supported in its dissemination, given the fact that even reliable and proven vaccines have had difficulty being fully disseminated throughout the region?