Covid-19 Immune Conspiracy: What Africa can learn from America

There’s a myth in Africa that the novel coronavirus “isn’t a black man’s disease”. It is believed that an average African or person of its ancestry generally posses superior immune responses. Science made the world believe that too.

Two studies reported in 2016 show that differences in disease susceptibility can be traced in large part to differences at the genetic level directing the way the immune systems of people with European and African ancestry are put together. Africa exhibited higher resistance. With coronavirus, however, this doesn’t hold water.

The African population in America is succumbing to the virus, puncturing any theory that black people are immune. While the mother continent enjoys some level of goodwill, at least for now, it will be vacuous to undermine the virus, as claims about race-based resilience to disease have led to devastating outcomes.

In the United States, blacks account for half of all coronavirus cases in Chicago and more than 70% of deaths, despite making up 30% of the population. 1,824 out of Chicago’s 4,680 confirmed Covid-19 cases were black residents, according to the city officials.

Chicago has seen a total of 98 deaths as of Sunday, with 72% of them black residents. “This new data offers a deeply concerning glimpse into the spread of Covid-19 and is a stark reminder of the deep-seated issues which have long created disparate health impacts in communities across Chicago,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on Monday called for the U.S government to release racial and ethnic data relating to the pandemic. The group says it wants to “ensure that communities of colour receive equitable health care and treatment during this crisis.”

The story isn’t much different in Michigan. Despite making up a meagre 14% of the population, African Americans account for 33% of the coronavirus cases and 41% of deaths, figures from the state health department showed on Monday. White residents, meanwhile, register about 23% of recorded cases and 28% of deaths.

In Louisiana, where 32% of the population is African American, those residents account for about 70% of coronavirus deaths. “We’re going to try to figure out what that is attributable to and what we can do about that is as quickly as possible,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said.

The stats is even more baffling in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one of the most segregated cities in the US. African Americans made up almost half of Milwaukee County’s nearly 1,000 cases as of last Friday and 81% of its 27 deaths, despite black people accounting for 26% of the population there, according to a study by ProPublica.

Africa’s 10,268 confirmed cases and almost 490 deaths according to World Health Organisation is still pretty much at its infancy. New York alone, over 138,836 persons have contracted the virus; more than 5,500 have died. Still it would be unwise to pin this on immune, judging by the United States’ data. Never mind 5G.