Africa COVID-19 Infection Hits 2 Million, as Second Wave is Now Building

Dec. 7, 2020 (EIRNS)—Africa’s COVID-19 cases crossed 2 million last week, at a rate roughly consistent with the first million, which it hit in early August 2020. Although there was a short pause in August and September (as springtime came to the continent), overall there has been no let-up in infection rates between so-called first and second waves. Both South Africa and Kenya have now begun to raise the lockdown restrictions which they had earlier eased, with both Presidents making addresses to their respective nations last week.

In conjunction with that, China has just announced the creation of what might be called the Cold Silk Road—the first cold-chain air freight service of COVID-19 vaccine shipments, with the arrival of its flight in Addis Abba, headquarters of the Africa CDC. As written up in South China Morning Post, Dec. 2, “Cainiao and Ethiopian Airlines have established China’s first regular international cold chain route between Shenzhen and Addis Ababa. The route can handle temperatures as low as −23° Celsius, cold enough for most vaccines, including for COVID-19.”

Cainiao Smart Logistics Network is a project of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, and plans on expanding its capabilities to the Middle East and South Africa. In a statement, James Zhao, Cainiao’s global supply chain general manager, said, “The launch of the cold chain air freight has further bolstered our global logistics capabilities and allows us to offer a one-stop solution for the global distribution of medical products such as the COVID-19 vaccines.”