As of March 29, there were more than 3,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 40 African countries. The regional director of the WHO Regional Office for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, warned that the new coronavirus disease will spread rapidly throughout the continent if immediate steps are not taken to contain it. While COVID-19 poses a daunting threat to the developed world, this will likely pale in comparison to its impact on Africa, where many healthcare systems are more fragile. Philanthropy will be needed to meet mounting challenges there. To do so, it should learn from the strategies adopted during the recent Ebola crisis.
