Here's how Africans are using tech to combat the coronavirus pandemic

Apr 5, 2020

A volunteer distributes cooked food and water to the underprivileged and homeless, as Ghana enforces a partial lockdown in Accra and Kumasi in efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Accra, Ghana. April 4, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko - Coronavirus china virus health healthcare who world health organization disease deaths pandemic epidemic worries concerns Health virus contagious contagion viruses diseases disease lab laboratory doctor health dr nurse medical medicine drugs vaccines vaccinations inoculations technology testing test medicinal biotechnology biotech biology chemistry physics Tech technology science chemistry biology physics electricity electric power battery charge positive negative lab laboratory scientist fourth industrial revolution microscope research influenza flu cold common cold bug risk symptomes respiratory china iran italy europe asia america south america north washing hands wash hands coughs sneezes spread spreading precaution precautions health warning covid 19 cov SARS 2019ncov wuhan sarscow wuhanpneumonia pneumonia outbreak patients unhealthy fatality mortality elderly old elder age serious death deathly deadly Africa populations malawi Lilongwe Ouagadougou Burkina Faso Uige Angola Bobo-Dioulasso Burkina Faso Dar es Salaam Tanzania Tete Mozambique Niamey Niger Bunia Congo Gwagwalada Nigeria Mwanza Tanzania Songea Tanzania Kabinda Congo Kampala Uganda Zinder Niger Bujumbura Burundi cities smart urban urbanization development growth growing inclusive inclusivity poverty tech technology science data electricity electric power fourth industrial revolution 4ir progress advancement power new revolutionary robot robotics ai artificial intelligence machine learning

With chatbots and interactive sites, Africans are finding new ways to slow the infection rate. Image: REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko

Kim Harrisberg

Water Rights Correspondent, Thomson Reuters Foundation

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Coronavirus china virus health healthcare who world health organization disease deaths pandemic epidemic worries concerns Health virus contagious contagion viruses diseases disease lab laboratory doctor health dr nurse medical medicine drugs vaccines vaccinations inoculations technology testing test medicinal biotechnology biotech biology chemistry physics Tech technology science chemistry biology physics electricity electric power battery charge positive negative lab laboratory scientist fourth industrial revolution microscope research influenza flu cold common cold bug risk symptomes respiratory china iran italy europe asia america south america north washing hands wash hands coughs sneezes spread spreading precaution precautions health warning covid 19 cov SARS 2019ncov wuhan sarscow wuhanpneumonia pneumonia outbreak patients unhealthy fatality mortality elderly old elder age serious death deathly deadly Africa populations malawi Lilongwe Ouagadougou Burkina Faso Uige Angola Bobo-Dioulasso Burkina Faso Dar es Salaam Tanzania Tete Mozambique Niamey Niger Bunia Congo Gwagwalada Nigeria Mwanza Tanzania Songea Tanzania Kabinda Congo Kampala Uganda Zinder Niger Bujumbura Burundi cities smart urban urbanization development growth growing inclusive inclusivity poverty tech technology science data electricity electric power fourth industrial revolution 4ir progress advancement power new revolutionary robot robotics ai artificial intelligence machine learning

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Africa, as of 31st March 2020. Image: McKinsey & Company

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