Arthur Greene
I-Covid-19 ibulale abantu abangu-15 million emhlabeni jikelele, ngokusho kwe-World Health Organisation (i-WHO).
Lesi sibalo siphinda kathathu inani elisemthethweni lika-5.9 million lokushona kwabantu emhlabeni wonke.
Umbiko oyingqophamlando we-WHO okhishwe ngoLwesine, uveza ukuthi leli gciwane – eseligubuzele umhlaba wonke eminyakeni emibili edlule – libulale abantu abaningi kakhulu kunalokho obekucatshangwa phambilini.
Lesi sibalo sakhiwe ngabantu abashona ngqo ngenxa yaleli gciwane kanjalo nabashona ngokungaqondile ngenxa yalolu bhubhane. Lokho kuhlanganisa nalabo abangakwazanga ukuthola usizo lwezempilo ngesifo esihlukile.
Uma kuhlukaniswa ngezwe ngalinye, isibalo esitholakele siyashaqisa.
E-India, bangaphezu kuka-4.7 million abantu okuthiwa bashone ngenxa ye-Covid-19, isibalo esiphakeme ukudlula noma yiliphi izwe emhlabeni futhi izikhathi ezingaphezu kwezingu-10 lenani labashonile elisemthethweni.
E-Egypt, ukushona kwabantu ngokweqile kutholakale ukuthi kukhulu ngokuphindwe ka-12 kunesibalo sabashonile esisemthethweni sezwe ngenxa ye-Covid, okusho ukuthi ihlaselwe kakhulu yileli gciwane kunalokho obekulindelwe ngemininingwane yalo.
INingizimu Afrika inezibalo eziphezulu kakhulu zokushona kwabantu ngokweqile emhlabeni, njengoba kushona abantu abangaphezu kuka-200 kwabangu-100,000.
Kodwa into esabisa kakhulu ngesibalo se-WHO esingu-15 million ukuthi inani langempela lingaba phezulu.
Abacwaningi babale lesi sibalo ngokwengeza inani lokushona ngokweqile, izwe ngezwe.
Kodwa-ke, amazwe amaningi, ikakhulukazi amazwe ampofu kakhulu emhlabeni, awanayo imininingwane enembayo ngokushona kwabantu ngokweqile.
Nakuba umbiko uthi ulungiselwe ukungagcinwa kahle kwamarekhodi, uyavuma ukuthi imininingwane yawo yamazwe amaningi alawa iyawaqagela. Bezingekho izibalo ezinembayo zamazwe angu-41 kwangu-54 ase-Afrika, ngokwesibonelo.
I-Tanzania yayeka ukuqopha imininingwane ye-Covid-19 ngoNhlangulana ngo-2020 ngoba owayenguMengameli wayo ngaleso sikhathi uJohn Magufuli wanquma ukuthi kwakusabalalisa ukwesaba wabe esememezela ukuthi isizwe “asisakhungethwe i-Covid-19”.
Isazi sezibalo uSolwazi Jon Wakefield, osebenze kulo mbiko, utshele i-BBC ukuthi “Kuyihlazo ukuthi abantu bayazalwa baphinde bashone – futhi asinazo ngisho nezibalo zalabo abashonile.
“Ngakho-ke ngempela sidinga ukutshala ezinhlelweni zokubhaliswa kwamazwe ukuze sithole idatha enembayo nefika ngesikhathi.”