Editorial | Dec 19,2020
The projections of health experts and economists on the public health and food security impact of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have been bleak, especially when it comes to low-income countries such as Ethiopia. The estimates have not been entirely wrong in terms of deaths from the virus, clocking in at 770 in Ethiopia. But the picture of overall fatalities has also come to surprise some, especially funeral service operators.
Between March and July, sales of caskets fell by about half, a counter-intuitive trend compared with what had been projected ever since COVID-19 began to make its rounds across the world.
This is a combination of improved hygiene among the public as a response to COVD-19 campaigns and lower traffic accidents since people became less mobile. Traffic fatalities went down by 12pc over the past six months compared to the same period last year, according to the Addis Abeba Traffic Management Office.
Things are a little complicated though on whether hygiene campaigns did indeed lead to lower mortalities or if the lowered sales of caskets do really mean less numbers of deaths. The Addis Abeba Vital Events Registration & Information Agency recorded a drop of around 40pc in the number of deaths, though it admits that its numbers might not reflect the reality on the ground.
Other indicators do not concur. There has not been anything out of the ordinary, according to the Addis Abeba Mortality Surveillance Programme, which uses different methodologies to assess deaths, including software developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). But the Programme believes that the results from June and July, yet to be tallied, will give a clearer picture.
You can read the full story here
PUBLISHED ON
Aug 29,2020 [ VOL
21 , NO
1061]
Dec 24 , 2022
Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...
Jul 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
Nov 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
Nov 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
Dec 9 , 2023
Making a paradigm shift seems elusive for those in the driving seat of Ethiopia's mon...
Dec 2 , 2023
The symphony of traffic noise in Addis Abeba is not just a sign of life, but a siren...
Nov 25 , 2023
Ethiopia's quest to develop a functioning capital market is a demanding yet not unach...
Nov 18 , 2023
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) has made a fervent call for landlocked Ethiopia to ga...
Loading your updates...