The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Africa Takes on COVID-19

Episode Date: November 16, 2020

While the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc throughout the world, Africa defies expectations by keeping COVID-19 relatively contained, partly due to its previous pandemic experience. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17th. The whole world is going through this people, but it turns out there is one place where they do seem to manage the virus better and that place might surprise you because you're racist. When COVID-19 was just starting to sweep the virus better. And that place might surprise you because you're racist. When COVID-19 was just starting to sweep the globe,

experts predicted Africa would be devastated with millions of lives lost. But six months later, the continent seems to be doing much better than anticipated. The World Health Organization says Africa is leading the world in its overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States is a country of about 326 million people, right? We have 228,000 people dead.

The entire continent of Africa, they have only had 41,000 deaths. Experts cannot explain this. They are buffled as well, why the number of cases, cumulatively, has remained so low compared to the rest of the world. Yes, many people never expected that Africa, of all all to to the places, to to the toeeeeeeeeeeeaaa, their their their, their, their, the world, the world, the world, the world, the world, the world, the world, the world, their, their, the world, the world, the world, the world, the world, the world, the world, the world, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right. Wea, right. Wea, right. Wea, right. Wea, the world, the world, the world, the world, the world, their, the world, the rest of the world. Yes, many people never expected that Africa, of all places, would be able to handle COVID-19. Because you see them now, they're all like, how is Africa so successful at this? I mean, I could understand if this was a marathon or carrying stuff on your head contest, but this is a deadly disease. How are they doing it?

And first off, of off that attitude is offensive and secondly hell yeah we'd win a carrying stuff on your head contest I've always said that it's racist that that's not an Olympic sport. White people get to come and shake a ribbon and they win a medal how come we can't balance buckets and get gold? I mean with how well Africa has been doing maybe they should be sending their 22 year olds to America so that they can't........ their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. their, their, th. th. to to to to to to to to to to to to their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. teolds to America so that they can also help out and also get some of those great pictures for their Instagram. So why has Africa been more successful at controlling a deadly disease? Well one reason might be that they've had a lot of practice. Experts say some African nations experience with previous viral outbreaks like the Ebola

and Marburg viruses mean it was already prepared to deal with COVID-19. The ecosystem built for the disease has been actually reused and we adapted for COVID. They already have community workers, health workers who are experienced in dealing with pandemics. In South Africa, they went out to the communities door-to-door, getting people to get tested for coronavirus. So they actually went out hunting for the virus. In Liberia's capital Monrovia, residents are taking matters into their own hands by setting up neighborhood checkpoints. To screen the temperature of those who enter, a strategy already used

during the Ebola outbreak. You know how people tap elbows to greet now? That was already used in West Africa during the 2014 to 2016 Ebola outbreak. They called it the Ebola then. Yeah, unfortunately, many Africans have been more prepared for Corona because they were forced to deal with Ebola. And if you think Corona is bad, ebola doesn't play around, man. Ebola is like if Corona went to the gym.

Actually, Corona went to the gym. Actually Corona does go to the gym. Corona is there. Don't go to the gym. Don't go to the gym. You see here's how it works. Using bad experiences to prepare for worse situations it comes naturally to Africans. Like I do it too. It's in my DNA. Like I prepare for a possible famine by eating at the cheesecake factory. So that way my stomach is like, huh. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. to to to to to to to to to toe toe. thi to toe. toe toe toe to to to to to to th. th. th. th. to to to to to to to to to to to to th. th. to th. th. th. to th. to to toe. to toe. toe. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to toe. to the the the the. the. the. toe. te. te. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. be so bad. So, because Africans know firsthand what a disease can do to people, they didn't take any chances with COVID-19. Most countries had mandatory mask requirements, and the country of the Suu to even imposed a nationwide lockdown before they had a single case. Imagine that. Imagine that, before they had a case. It reminds me of how my mom would

sometimes beat my ass before I did something wrong. But mom, I haven't done anything! This is for something you were thinking of doing. The worst part is true, I was going to do it. So African nations were able to build on their experience fighting other outbreaks. But that's not the only thing that's working in their favor. It actually seems like the African people themselves have a lot of built-in advantages. One reason experts give for the low death rate is the continent's young population. About 50% of the people living in Africa are in their teens. In addition, about 40% of those young people we

estimate had asymptomatic infection and that might be because they've been exposed to other coronaviruses that cause the common cold earlier on. A key they believe the lower burden of so-called diseases of lifestyle like obesity and hypertension. Both they believe could lessen the severity of the disease. There is another more unusual hypothesis. Some scientists believe parasitic worms could be protecting some Africans from the full effects of COVID-19. Okay, wow, that's pretty weird. One theory says that Africans have parasitic worms which protect them from coronavirus? Like all Africans?

I guess I should thank you, Mr. Riggles. You are looking out for me. You're welcome, Trigger. How about we get some pizza for dinner tonight? You bet, buddy. He's slowly killing me. But yeah. One of the more intuitive reasons for Africa's success

is that as a continent, the people are younger and in better shape than in other places, which helps in surviving Corona. Plus, Africans get that secret vaccine that they developed in Wakanda. So Africa as a whole is doing better than most of the world when it comes to managing COVID-19. But don't forget. Luck and circumstance aside, most of Africa's success has come down to leadership. Many African countries have leaders who have taken this disease seriously from the start, and because of that, the people have also taken it seriously.

And here's how you know leadership makes a big difference. Because some countries have leaders who are a lot like Trump. And just like Trump, those African countries are not doing well. While many countries are being praised for their approach to controlling the spread of COVID-19, Tanzania is an exception. The President, John Magufouli, has been really in recent weeks down playing the risk of COVID-19, telling people not to wear masks, has been very little social distancing.

Tanzania's president has said the country has been healed of coronavirus through prayer. It is an almighty claim and difficult challenge because his government hasn't released any data for weeks. He has been skeptical of the virus and has echoed conspiracy theories. On live television, he told the nation that the country's national laboratory had inflated coronavirus numbers. He even sent samples of fruit to be tested for the virus as a way to expose false positives.

Wow. I mean, say what you want about Trump, but at least he's not clugging up the laboratories with fruit samples. I mean, mostly because he doesn't know what a fruit is, but still. Also, can you imagine if that fruit tested positive for coronavirus? I mean, it would be calling up all the other fruit that it was next to in the fruit salad. Hi, blueberries, it's me, mango. Yeah, I just tested positive for COVID, so you may wanna isolate. Oh, and by the way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way th th th th th th th th th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. that. th. th. th. that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that. that, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. that's. that's. that's. that's. that's. that. that. that by the way, could you tell Mellon for me? Things have been weird for us, ever since I told him that he's just in the salad to fill it up,

which is totally true, but whatever. Okay, bye. So look, Tanzanian Trump, aside, Africa has been much less of a nightmare as it has been on other continents. But please understand. I'm not saying this to brag or anything like I'm not like Africans are better no I'm saying it because this is good news for the rest of the world it shows that if you take precautions and you use common sense you can limit the spread and the harm of coronavirus so please this is the one time it's okay to take something Africans came up with and claim it as your own. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah ears edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and the Comedy Central

Act. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives.

But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.