it’s almost two years now since covid 19 left China to spread across the world and in its wake, it has left dead bodies spread across the world, battered economies, lockdowns and more lockdowns and of course vaccines. It is interesting how vaccines have become a hot political debate but that’s not the thought out of season.
Imagine for a second that covid arose first in Africa and given the abandon with which countries close their borders for travel just at the sneeze of a new variant, would we have a vaccine by now? Or would Africa have been left to fend for itself- which is not a bad thing in itself- with borders closed until such a time WHO would declare the threat addressed?
While on this line of thought, would such an action result in a change in the way African governments deal with their universities and research institutions? Would there be an increase in funding to these institutions to build and develop home grown solutions to emergencies and disease? Would Africa and Africans learn to ease border travel between them or would we have had a replica of the same where Kenya closes its border with Uganda and Tanzania. South Africa closes its borders for all Africans except if you are rich. And North Africa closes its border for anyone whose skin is not pale?
Or maybe I am wrong. The world would have been open to Africa. Big pharmaceutical companies would have worked on the overdrive to produce vaccines and make their patents open source to ensure rapid development of vaccines and cures for the poor Africans. African governments would realise the futility of silly border rules across Africa and work to ease travel to save their economies and maybe only a few people would have died and the world would be a much better place.
We have lost the chances for “better places” a long time ago. During a short period in the nineteen sixties, when all spotlights had focused on Africa, slogans of good intentions were pouring out from the UN, and the World Bank had a moment of social consciousness.
Alas, this is a long time ago, and everyone seems to have lost interest in Africa, apart from squeezing out its cheap resources.
However, the situation in the rest of the world is slowly looking not unlike Africa, and guess who will be best prepared to deal with such conditions in the future?
We in the decadent, overfed western world, riddled with heart diseases, diabetes and mental problems can hardly be expected to not have it all anymore! Just let’s see and wait!
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In essence, the opportunity came and went.
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Good questions posed here, my friend.
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thank you Jeff. How is Chicago?
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Cold
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come to nairobi. it is wet and chilly with some sun
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Yesterday it was actually quite warm here for December–in the low 50’s. Kinda nice cause in a month or so we’ll be in subzero weather. Brrrr!!!! 🙂 (Oh, btw, I got a third Covid shot and guess what? I died. AGAIN!!! When, oh, when will I EVER learn!!! You’d think the 798 pounds of surveillance equipment I was injected with the first two times I had these shots woulda made me smarter, but, nope. Dumb me! Now I’m dead, just like those byrds brutally killed by those wind turbines!)
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That’s many deaths for one person. Jesus has nothing on you.
Do you walk with a ginger counter or a magnet? You might have become electromagnetic from the deaths and coming back to life.
We have had wet mornings and cloudy afternoons and I think it will be like this for a while more.
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I don’t walk much at all being dead and all. Christ, it’s hard enough just writing this kinda stuff from the grave!
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I got my third shot on Monday and altho’ I didn’t die, I sure felt like I was close to it. Quite a nasty reaction this time around.
BTW, why worry about the sub-zero temps? You’re already dead and cold, right?
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Nan, it’s hard enough trying to move around being dead. Can you imagine what it’s like having zero circulation in subzero weather?! I mean, I’m gonna be stuck to the sidewalk or street somewhere for Christs sake!
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I don’t think the entire continent of Africa could be ignored, for economic reasons if no other. Although there are countries in the world with enough international isolation that they might well find themselves on their own.
Click to access f_0033044_26898.pdf
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Ugh. Sorry. I had no idea it would embed like that. Here’s the link: https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/journals/wpj/v30i1/f_0033044_26898.pdf
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I thought the % of people using the internet in NK would be higher than 5% with all the hacking that is said to happen from there they should have a thriving internet industry. Somalia doesn’t surprise me much but I think it is improving. I didn’t think Burundi would make a honorary appearance.
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South Africa is I think the largest economy in Africa and countries haven’t hesitated to impose travel bans from SA. I think most of Africa would be ignored notwithstanding economic reasons
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A very provocative question and situation you have offered, my Kenyan brother. Living in the USA, and given the current tensions flourishing all around, I don’t have any idea of what the reaction would have been. I know what my expected response would have been – but I am in a complete minority within these geographical boundaries. Naked hugs, my friend! Great job! 🙂
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thank you.
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You deserve the appreciation! 😉
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Look, get with the program. The experts tell us that the unvaccinated are the scum of the earth because they are a health menace; so it logically follows that the least vaccinated people on the planet — which just so happen to reside in Africa — should be denied all basic human rights. And anyone who disagrees with this policy is obviously a rabid, right-wing, anti-vax, anti-science conspiracy theorist who watches votes Trump, watches Fox News and follows Q-Anon.
Now you’ll have to excuse me while I go top up my position in Roche, Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, Merck, Pfizer, and the manufacturers of Zyclon B.
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What got me laughing yesterday or the day before was come comments on a post where I saw arguments that imply it is the leaky and those that have been inoculated that have made the virus to mutate severally. When this virus is finally declared over or whatever WHO does when a pandemic is no longer one, the world will be an interesting place
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The economic damage is already done. Many businesses have shuttered their doors and the travel, tourism and hospitality industry has been completely disrupted. Supply chains are broken. Unemployment is up. Inflation is up. Government spending is through the roof and the people are revolting. Fun times ahead.
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And every few months, a new cashcow is born in the name of a variant. In my next life I want to be a CEO in a pharmaceutical company big enough to supply the world with vaccines where a booster is needed every 3-6 months. I would provide the initial vaccine for free and charge for the boosters. Behave like apple. Everything is for subscription because that’s where the real money is.
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I like that analogy: a business model that mandates you purchase a regular “anti-virus” update for your body akin to the one you currently need for your operating system. And coincidentally, the man who stands to profit the most from this new arrangement is the same man who profited handsomely from inflicting the world with his virus-prone software for the last three decades. 🙂
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It is ridiculous. But it is a good business model and it works as long as lockdowns are in place.
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