Health and Socio-Economic Outcomes in Africa Months After Lifting the Covid-19 Lockdown.

The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic in late 2019 triggered an unparalleled global crisis, casting a wide-reaching impact across all facets of human existence. In the case of Africa, a continent already grappling with a multitude of challenges, the reverberations of Covid-19 were particularly profound. Amidst the backdrop of ongoing health and socio-economic hurdles, the pandemic served to magnify preexisting vulnerabilities while also introducing new layers of complexity. While the virus itself posed an immediate and formidable threat, the containment measures implemented to halt its transmission, such as lockdowns and travel restrictions, imparted far-reaching consequences that transcended the confines of the pandemic’s timeline. Reflecting on the year that has transpired since the initial lockdowns and the decline of stringent pandemic policies, this policy brief delves into the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic has accentuated prevailing health and socio-economic challenges in Africa. The ensuing exacerbation of vulnerabilities underscores the acute necessity for a comprehensive and just response.