[ti:Scientists Mystified, Concerned, as Africa Avoids COVID Disaster] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]When the coronavirus first appeared last year, [00:05.36]health officials feared the pandemic would kill millions in Africa. [00:12.32]Although it’s unclear how many COVID-19 will kill, [00:17.44]the horrible, predicted events have not happened. [00:23.04]Scientists note that getting true COVID-19 numbers [00:28.56]is extremely difficult, especially in some African countries. [00:35.48]They also warn that cases could easily increase again. [00:41.40]Wafaa El-Sadr is the chair of international health [00:46.44]at Columbia University in New York. [00:50.96]She said there is something “mysterious” going on in Africa [00:56.08]that scientists are questioning: [00:59.72]“Africa doesn’t have the vaccines and resources [01:04.16]to fight COVID-19 that they have in Europe and the U.S., [01:09.60]but somehow they seem to be doing better,” she said. [01:14.92]Fewer than 6 percent of Africans are vaccinated. [01:20.60]For months, the World Health Organization (WHO) [01:26.32]has described Africa [01:28.64]as “one of the least affected regions in the world” [01:32.96]in its weekly pandemic reports. [01:37.12]Some researchers say the continent’s younger population, [01:42.44]more rural life, and the amount of time spent outdoors [01:48.28]may have saved it from COVID-19 related deaths. [01:53.84]Several studies are researching for other reasons, [01:58.28]including genes or past infections with parasites. [02:04.24]On November 19, researchers in Uganda said [02:09.48]they found a connection with COVID-19 patients [02:14.04]and those who have had a history with the disease malaria. [02:20.40]They said those patients were less likely [02:23.88]to have severe COVID-19 or death [02:26.72]compared to those with little history of the disease. [02:32.80]Christian Happi is the director of the African Center [02:37.60]of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases [02:42.44]at Redeemer’s University in Nigeria. [02:47.96]He said officials are used to dealing with outbreaks [02:52.20]even without vaccines. [02:55.56]He credited the extensive organization [02:59.28]of community health workers. [03:02.92]“It’s not always about how much money you have [03:06.64]or how sophisticated your hospitals are,” he said. [03:12.08]Devi Sridhar is the chair of international public health [03:16.92]at the University of Edinburgh. [03:20.64]She said African leaders have not gotten credit for acting quickly, [03:26.24]noting Mali’s decision to close its borders [03:30.40]before COVID-19 even arrived. [03:34.52]“I think there’s a different cultural approach in Africa, [03:39.32]where these countries have approached COVID with a sense of humility [03:44.84]because they’ve experienced things like Ebola, [03:48.56]polio and malaria,” Sridhar said. [03:53.64]Ebola and polio are also infectious diseases. [03:59.44]In the past months, the coronavirus hit South Africa hard [04:04.76]and is estimated to have killed more than 89,000 people there. [04:11.76]It is by far the most deaths on the continent. [04:16.64]African officials note the numbers could not be right, [04:21.28]but they are not reporting the huge, expected numbers of COVID-related deaths. [04:28.84]WHO information shows deaths in Africa [04:33.56]make up just 3 percent of the world total. [04:38.32]In comparison, deaths in the Americas are 46 percent [04:43.80]and Europe has 29 percent. [04:48.04]In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, [04:52.72]the government has recorded nearly 3,000 deaths so far [04:57.84]among its 200 million people. [05:01.84]The U.S. records that many deaths every two or three days. [05:07.80]The low numbers have Nigerians like Opemipo Are, [05:13.16]a 23-year-old in Abuja, feeling better. [05:18.52]“They said there will be dead bodies on the streets and all that, [05:23.00]but nothing like that happened,” she said. [05:27.20]Oyewale Tomori is a Nigerian virologist [05:31.76]who sits on several WHO advisory groups. [05:37.68]He believes that Africa might not need as many vaccines as the West. [05:44.96]The disputed idea is being seriously discussed by African scientists. [05:52.48]That doesn’t mean, however, that vaccines are not needed in Africa. [05:59.68]Salim Abdool Karim studies pandemics [06:03.32]at South Africa’s University of KwaZulu-Natal [06:08.56]and advised South Africa’s government on COVID-19. [06:14.84]He said, “We need to be vaccinating all out [06:19.12]to prepare for the next wave.” [06:22.76]He added, “Looking at what’s happening in Europe, [06:26.88]the likelihood of more cases spilling over here is very high.” [06:33.16]I’m Gregory Stachel. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM