Ethiopia's Readiness for COVID-19 Ranks Low: Report

The United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) latest report, "COVID-19 Human Development, Exploring Global Preparedness & Vulnerability," demonstrates that the impact of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will be felt throughout every aspect of society.

In its report, the UNDP underscores that there are different factors that determine the overall preparedness and vulnerability of countries and regions to the ramifications of the virus. The report, in its first data set, lists three main categories to assess how prepared and equipped a country or region is to deal with the damage COVID-19 will inflict: its Human Development Index (HDI), its health system, and connectivity.

Under connectivity, one indicator is the number of mobile subscribers, which includes 79pc of the population in Ethiopia. This indicator also includes what percent of the population has a fixed broadband internet subscription, which includes just 0.4pc of Ethiopia's population. Internet access and connectivity play an important role as lockdowns have necessitated that people communicate, work and continue their education digitally.

Ethiopia, with a Human Development Index value of 0.47 falls in the low development category with other countries that score less than 0.5. A crude assessment of how well Ethiopia’s healthcare system and capacity is performing compared to other countries was also included.

With one physician, eight nurses and midwives, and three hospital beds for every 10,000 people - and just four percent of its GDP going to the healthcare sector - the country falls below the average for sub-Saharan Africa. On average, countries in the region have 2.1 physicians, 10 nurses and midwives and eight hospital beds for every 10,000 people, and spend 5.3pc of GDP on the healthcare system.

Developed countries have an average of over 30 physicians, 81 nurses and 55 hospital beds for 10,000 people. Europe and central Asia are regarded as regions with such HDIs.

During a pandemic, countries rely on their health resources. They can use such data to pinpoint where much more work is needed, according to Nuhamin Petros, a PhD student in epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

"By analysing and predicting areas that can be particularly affected by the virus, governments can determine where the involvement of the community is crucial, especially in countries like Ethiopia where community engagement is very much a necessity," she added.

"An additional benefit is the lessons learned that identify strategies if anything similar comes into play," Nuhamin said.

COVID-19 has laid bare the double-edged sword of globalisation. The dissemination and efficient exchange of ideas and information has been made possible by a fragile system in which small disruptions can send ripple effects throughout the globe.