Recent updates on the possible reasons for the low incidence and morbidity of COVID-19 cases in Africa

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Abstract

Background

The COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 has been a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide since the first reported case in Wuhan, China. A year has passed since pandemic began, and the reasons for different COVID-19 burden variation across continents keep puzzling the general public.

Main body of the abstract

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, published research articles have addressed the epidemiological risk factors, host factors, susceptibility and immunity. To ascertain possible reasons for the different rates of COVID-19 infections between Africa and other continents, we summarized the up-to-date scientific literature to identify possible arguments in this regard. Available literature suggests that demographic, epidemiological, sociological, genetic and immunological factors contribute in the COVID-19 severity and the susceptibly to SARS-CoV-2.

Short conclusion

This review summarizes existing data and discusses reasons for differential COVID-19 burden across continents. The arguments mentioned herein will be helpful to guide future experimental studies to test different hypotheses.

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Most cited references 67

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SARS-CoV-2 Cell Entry Depends on ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and Is Blocked by a Clinically Proven Protease Inhibitor

Markus Hoffmann, Hannah Kleine-Weber, Simon Schroeder … (2020)

Summary The recent emergence of the novel, pathogenic SARS-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China and its rapid national and international spread pose a global health emergency. Cell entry of coronaviruses depends on binding of the viral spike (S) proteins to cellular receptors and on S protein priming by host cell proteases. Unravelling which cellular factors are used by SARS-CoV-2 for entry might provide insights into viral transmission and reveal therapeutic targets. Here, we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 uses the SARS-CoV receptor ACE2 for entry and the serine protease TMPRSS2 for S protein priming. A TMPRSS2 inhibitor approved for clinical use blocked entry and might constitute a treatment option. Finally, we show that the sera from convalescent SARS patients cross-neutralized SARS-2-S-driven entry. Our results reveal important commonalities between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV infection and identify a potential target for antiviral intervention.

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Characteristics of and Important Lessons From the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak in China: Summary of a Report of 72 314 Cases From the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Zunyou Wu, Jennifer M. McGoogan (2020)

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Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia

Qun Li, Xuhua Guan, Peng Wu … (2020)

Abstract Background The initial cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)–infected pneumonia (NCIP) occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019 and January 2020. We analyzed data on the first 425 confirmed cases in Wuhan to determine the epidemiologic characteristics of NCIP. Methods We collected information on demographic characteristics, exposure history, and illness timelines of laboratory-confirmed cases of NCIP that had been reported by January 22, 2020. We described characteristics of the cases and estimated the key epidemiologic time-delay distributions. In the early period of exponential growth, we estimated the epidemic doubling time and the basic reproductive number. Results Among the first 425 patients with confirmed NCIP, the median age was 59 years and 56% were male. The majority of cases (55%) with onset before January 1, 2020, were linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, as compared with 8.6% of the subsequent cases. The mean incubation period was 5.2 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.1 to 7.0), with the 95th percentile of the distribution at 12.5 days. In its early stages, the epidemic doubled in size every 7.4 days. With a mean serial interval of 7.5 days (95% CI, 5.3 to 19), the basic reproductive number was estimated to be 2.2 (95% CI, 1.4 to 3.9). Conclusions On the basis of this information, there is evidence that human-to-human transmission has occurred among close contacts since the middle of December 2019. Considerable efforts to reduce transmission will be required to control outbreaks if similar dynamics apply elsewhere. Measures to prevent or reduce transmission should be implemented in populations at risk. (Funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and others.)

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Author and article information

Contributors

Emmanuel Kagning Tsinda:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1186-7657

kagningemmanuel2@med.tohoku.ac.jp

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Bull Natl Res Cent

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Bull Natl Res Cent

Title: Bulletin of the National Research Centre

Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg (Berlin/Heidelberg )

ISSN (Print): 1110-0591

ISSN (Electronic): 2522-8307

Publication date (Electronic): 23 July 2021

Publication date PMC-release: 23 July 2021

Publication date (Print): 2021

Volume: 45

Issue: 1

Electronic Location Identifier: 133

Affiliations

[1 ]GRID grid.69566.3a, ISNI 0000 0001 2248 6943, Graduate School of Medicine, , Tohoku University, ; Sendai, 980-8575 Japan

[2 ]GRID grid.69566.3a, ISNI 0000 0001 2248 6943, Graduate School of Life Sciences, , Tohoku University, ; Sendai, 980-8577 Japan

Author information

Emmanuel Kagning Tsinda http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1186-7657

Article

Publisher ID: 589

DOI: 10.1186/s42269-021-00589-9

PMC ID: 8300982

PubMed ID: 34335014

SO-VID: fce24524-69c5-4127-9261-0bf8c82c7631

License:

Open AccessThis article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

Date received : 13 February 2021

Date accepted : 11 July 2021

Custom metadata

Keywords: covid-19,sars-cov-2,burden,africa,susceptibility,severity

Data availability:

Keywords: covid-19, sars-cov-2, burden, africa, susceptibility, severity

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