










































Communication, Society and Media 
ISSN 2576-5388 (Print) ISSN 2576-5396 (Online) 

Vol. 3, No. 4, 2020 
www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/csm 

20 
 

Some Lessons from the COVID-19 Crisis 
Amb. John O. Kakonge PhD1* 

1 President of the Association of Former International Civil Servants, Kenya 
* Amb. John O. Kakonge, President of the Association of Former International Civil Servants, Kenya 

 

Received: August 26, 2020    Accepted: September 7, 2020    Online Published: September 16, 2020 

doi:10.22158/csm.v3n4p20                       URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/csm.v3n4p20 

 

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus early in 2020, many lessons have been learned, both 

positive and negative. This paper considers some general lessons that can be drawn and the 

implications for future health crises. Specifically, it considers the need for preparedness of countries, 

the necessity of having available Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), the value of nurses, and the 

importance of scientist participation in decision-making. The article draws from examples across the 

world but pays special attention to Africa. 

 

1. Need for Countrywide Preparedness 

With a few exceptions (notably, countries in Asia), most countries were not prepared for the 

coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. These include almost all developing countries and 

developed countries such as France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The countries 

that were better prepared were predominantly in East Asia and Southeast Asia, namely, China, Hong 

Kong, Japan, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan and Viet Nam. 

According to Gudi et al. (2020), one of the reasons why Southeast Asian countries have been able to 

keep their morbidity and mortality rates relatively low, despite their strong links with China where this 

novel coronavirus originated, is because of their previous experience with the SARS pandemic of 

2002-2004. Most of these countries have established central epidemic centres focusing on biological 

pathogens, bioterrorism and medical emergencies. Gudi et al. (2020) note that within a few days of the 

outbreak, China was able to combat the fast spread of the virus by building two hospitals, each having 

around 30 intensive care units and with over 2000 beds. In contrast, hospitals in the United States were 

not prepared to deal with COVID-19, while in the United Kingdom, the health system lacked a 

sufficient number of beds and PPE to assist affected patients. 

In the case of Africa, a report by the African Development Bank (AfDB, 2020) confirms that the 

majority of African countries were ill-prepared to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the 

Global Health Security (GHS) Index, which measures the health security capabilities needed to prevent, 

detect, and respond to significant infectious disease outbreaks, African countries mostly rank between 

the 101st and 195th positions on the index, with those ranking below 150 considered to be the least 



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/csm               Communication, Society and Media                Vol. 3, No. 4, 2020 

 

 
21 

Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

 

prepared (AfDB, 2020). This level of ill-preparedness has been associated with weak health-care 

capacity, poor facilities and infrastructure, and inadequate budgetary resources. Furthermore, many 

African countries face an acute shortage of health-care professionals, with some having little or no 

testing capacity at all, as is the case in Lesotho. Some African countries, like Senegal, have 

well-established baseline health-care systems (AfDB, 2020). These, however, could be overrun should 

the number of patients rise (AfDB, 2020). 

Clearly, there is a need for all countries, including those in Africa, to have active contingency plans for 

pandemics and other medical emergencies which should be regularly updated. If countries had these 

pandemic contingency plans in place in 2020, it appears that they were either inadequate or were 

ignored. 

 

2. Access to Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) 

Once the coronavirus disease was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 

March of this year, there was a rush by health-care facilities and practitioners to buy PPE. Given that 

the pandemic took the world by surprise, many countries, including developed countries in Europe and 

the United States, had either inadequate stocks or none at all. Large-scale manufacturers of PPE in 

Brazil, China, India and Turkey were unable to meet the demand. In addition, prices went up and 

developing countries, including those in Africa, found themselves at the end of the queue. Moreover, 

once international flights were suspended around mid-March 2020, it was foreseen that there would be 

delays in receiving supplies. These delays were estimated to be between three to six months. A number 

of African countries, including Kenya, judged the initial supplies that they received to be of very poor 

quality. In the words of former President John F. Kennedy, a crisis represents both danger and 

opportunity (Hoffman, 2018). A number of African countries resolved to produce their PPE locally. For 

example, the Kenyan manufacturing sector has been very active in producing PPE of good quality. 

There are also small-scale vendors in the country producing masks. These factories and vendors are 

now employing their own staff and providing them with an income source. In Tunisia and Morocco, 

factories have been repurposed to produce protective masks. In Morocco and South Africa, domestic 

manufacturers have started to produce ventilators and venturi masks on an industrial scale for the 

treatment of patients with COVID-19.  

All in all, African countries, with a relatively strong manufacturing base and local capabilities, seem to 

have been better able to produce medical equipment for dealing with COVID-19. These countries are 

also working with their universities to produce prototype ventilators for critically ill patients. In any 

event, given that no one knows when this pandemic is going to end, the African countries producing 

PPE should sustain the capacity that they have developed for future pandemics. Moreover, they should 

stockpile essential items so that they will not be taken by surprise in the future. 



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/csm               Communication, Society and Media                Vol. 3, No. 4, 2020 

 

 
22 

Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

 

3. Value of Nurses 

Another lesson to be learned from the pandemic relates to recognition and appreciation of the role of 

nurses in providing health care services. Until the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the role of 

nurses in health care was often overlooked or discounted, especially in Africa. As a profession, nursing 

has little prestige; nurses are poorly paid and, prior to the advent of COVID-19, patients did not take 

nurses seriously, preferring to be attended to by doctors. During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, 

however, nurses have been heralded as lifesaving heroes on the frontline of the pandemic. According to 

Choi and Dermenchyan (2020), the fight against COVID-19 is a team effort; 87 per cent of the time 

patients spend in intensive care units (ICU), they are under the care of nurses and only 13 per cent 

under that of physicians. In addition, as the pandemic intensifies, treating the human effects of 

COVID-19 calls for nursing science (Choi & Dermenchyan, 2020). Wu et al. (2020) endorse the above 

observation by expressing their highest gratitude and respect to all the nurses who worked with them 

during the coronavirus pandemic in Beijing. Without the nurses, they would not have been able to treat 

the critically ill patients. 

During this pandemic, one lesson which has become heartbreakingly clear is that patients must be 

isolated from their families and loved ones. Families say goodbye at the door of the hospital, knowing 

that they may not see one another again. But they are not alone; nurses and other health-care 

professionals administer to these patients as if they were their sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, or 

significant others. “They are with the patient during intubation, proning, procedures and even when 

death is inevitable” (Woods, 2020). They celebrate the wins and cry with the losses. Nurses are our 

heroes! 

By an ironic but felicitous coincidence, WHO had declared 2020 to be the “International Year of the 

Nurse and Midwife” in celebration of the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale. Phillips and 

Catrambone (2020) conclude that nurses will always be on the frontlines of global pandemics. Nurses 

are the real cause for celebration, both during and beyond the COVID-19 crisis. 

 

4. Importance of Scientist Participation 

The role and importance of scientists and public health experts has become increasingly clear during 

the continuing coronavirus pandemic. Most of the countries that appear to have contained the 

coronavirus, such as China, Costa Rica, Germany, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, and 

Uruguay, have done so owing to the guidance and support of public health experts and infectious 

disease scientists. Under normal circumstances, subjects like epidemiology, virology, immunology, 

molecular microbiology, biochemistry, biophysics and infectious diseases have never received much 

attention in academic circles, especially in Africa. There is no doubt, however, that the COVID-19 

crisis has highlighted the fact that science plays a vital role in supporting public health and, in fact, 



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/csm               Communication, Society and Media                Vol. 3, No. 4, 2020 

 

 
23 

Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

 

returning countries to earlier economic levels. 

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical scientists have worked closely with 

doctors and nurses to contain or combat the disease. Despite the delays in political recognition of the 

coronavirus, the scientific community was already on the front lines. For example, by the time that 

politicians and the world at large began taking the virus seriously, scientists had already determined the 

full genome sequence of the virus itself, SAR-CoV-2, isolated clinical samples, and were searching for 

drug combinations that could be used to fight this new strain (Straiton, 2020).  

The skills of the scientific community are needed now more than ever. They will be helping the world 

not only by finding solutions to the unknown, but also by sharing information that can allay public 

fears about COVID-19 while encouraging public participation in recommended prevention methods. 

For example, in the United States, Dr. Antony Fauci, the US government’s top infectious diseases 

scientist, has helped to curtail the panic about COVID-19 and “continues to engage with the public in 

all sorts of settings and on their terms” (Sholts, 2020). 

According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA, 2020), 

public trust in science is essential for science-based policies to succeed, and science-based policies are 

essential to resolving global challenges. In the case of COVID-19, all individuals must trust scientific 

guidance if they are to alter their behaviour and lower the rates of transmission. Public confidence in 

science-based approaches to the pandemic is demonstrated by the uptake by the general public of such 

scientific phrases as “flattening the curve”, which has proved effective in encouraging people to remain 

indoors to limit the spread. Thus too, science will provide us with an “exit strategy” from the pandemic 

when a vaccine is finally developed; in the meantime, scientists are helping us to understand the origin 

of the virus, how it spreads, what treatments are most effective, and indeed if a cure is possible. As 

acknowledged by Scholts (2020), “the fewer people in the dark, the better off everyone will be. We are 

in this together”. 

 

5. Summary and Conclusion 

The topics discussed are related and are critical for the successful containment of the novel coronavirus 

disease. Clearly, health-care workers must be protected with quality PPE to avoid infections and 

contamination in Africa and elsewhere. Moreover, the knowledge and expertise of scientists and 

researchers are critical in the war on COVID-19. African governments need to be well equipped, 

including having stocks of PPE, and well-trained nurses, physicians, and scientists in essential fields. 

According to the United Nations Secretary-General’s policy paper on the impact of COVID-19 in 

Africa (Human Rights Watch, 2020), Mauritius has the second-highest level of preparedness on the 

continent. This is because the country has universal health coverage, a strong laboratory system to 

conduct relevant research, and strong political will. This should be instructive to all other African 



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/csm               Communication, Society and Media                Vol. 3, No. 4, 2020 

 

 
24 

Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

 

countries. 

Under the Abuja Declaration on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Related Infectious Diseases of 

2001, Member-States of the African Union pledged to allocate a minimum of 15 per cent of their 

national budgets to the improvement of their health sectors. Therefore, African countries should honour 

their financial pledge towards their health sector. Further, African countries need carefully to review the 

current state of their health-care infrastructure and make meaningful investments, which in turn will 

enhance the capacity and abilities of the health workers to fulfill their duties, especially during a 

pandemic such as the current one. Moreover, because of low investment in the health-care sector, 

nurses and doctors in most African countries are not adequately remunerated and this, in turn, has 

affected their morale. 

As one African medical professor has noted, “Africa is a continent that fails to learn lessons. Every 

time we have a Lassa outbreak, we always approach it as a new one” (Human Rights Watch, 2020). 

Obviously, this should not be the case post COVID-19. In short, the issues discussed earlier about 

COVID-19 are interrelated, namely the nature of preparedness, the importance of PPE availability, and 

the recognition of the invaluable role of nurses and scientists. These issues must be prioritized by 

developing countries, including those in Africa, as health crises will continue to challenge aspects of 

our everyday lives. 

 

Disclaimer 

The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and not necessarily 

associated with AFICS-Kenya.  

 

References 

African Development Bank Group (AfDB). (2020). African Economic Outlook 2020 Supplement, Amid 

COVID-19. African Development Bank Group. Retrieved August 11, 2020, from 

www.afdb.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/afdb20-04_aeo_supplement_full_report_

for_web_0705.pdf 

Choi, K., & Dermenchyan, A. (2020). The nursing science behind nurses as coronavirus hospital heroes. 

STAT, First Opinion, 30 July 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020, from 

www.statnews.com/2020/07/30/science-behind-nurses-as-coronavirus-hospital-heroes/ 

Gudi, K. S., & others. (2020). Preparedness and Lessons Learned from COVID 19. Plos, 7 July 2020. 

Retrieved August 12, 2020, from 

https://yoursay.plos.org/2020/07/07/preparedness-and-lessons-learned-from-covid-19/ 

Hoffman, R. (2018). Words That Matter. Retrieved August 10, 2020,  from 

https://medium.com/wordsthatmatter/never-waste-a-serious-w%C4%93ij%C4%AB-%E5%8D%B



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/csm               Communication, Society and Media                Vol. 3, No. 4, 2020 

 

 
25 

Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

 

1%E6%9C%BA-34d40c6768d2 

Human Rights Watch. (2020). Africa: Covid 19 Exposes Health Care Shortfall, 5 June 2020. Retrieved 

August 12, 2020, from 

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/08/africa-covid-19-exposes-healthcare-shortfalls 

Phillips, C., & Catrambone, C. (2020). Nurses are playing a Crucial Role in this Pandemic—as always. 

Scientific American—Observations Opinion, 4 May 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020, from 

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/nurses-are-playing-a-crucial-role-in-this-pande

mic-mdash-as-always/  

Sholts, S. (2020). Accurate science communication is key in the fight against COVID-19. World 

Economic Forum, 19 March 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020, from 

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/science-communication-covid-coronavirus/ 

Straiton, J. (2020). COVID-19: How has the scientific community risen to the challenge? Future 

Science, Biotechniques, 68(5). Retrieved August 8, 2020, from 

https://doi.org/10.2144/btn-2020-0041 

United Nations Department of Economic Social Affairs (UN DESA). (2020). COVID-19 response 

demands better use of science and technology, 22 April 2020, New York. Retrieved August 8, 

2020, from 

https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/policy/covid-19-response-demands-better-use-of-s

cience-and-technology.html 

Woods, A. D. (2020). Lessons Learned from the Frontline. Nursing Center Blog, 30 May 2020. 

Retrieved August 7, 2020, from 

https://www.nursingcenter.com/ncblog/may-2020/lessons-learned-from-the-frontline 

Wu, X., Guo, N., Zhou, N., & Zhang, S. (2020). Containing COVID 19: Crucial role of nurses. The 

BMJ Opinion, 4 May 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020, from 

https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/05/04/containing-covid-19-crucial-role-of-nurses/ 

https://www.nursingcenter.com/ncblog/may-2020/lessons-learned-from-the-frontline

