Ipsos joins an international partnership to implement non-pharmaceutical interventions against Covid-19 in Africa
Ipsos will provide the collection and analysis of data on the impact of COVID-19, behaviours surrounding it, and control measures put in place in African countries.
Ipsos has joined with Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, Africa CDC, the World Health Organisation's African Regional Office (AFRO) and Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO), and the World Economic Forum to form a new public-private partnership to support evidence-based implementation of Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce Coronavirus transmission in African countries ("flattening the curve") while working with governments to mitigate social and economic disruption and other unintended consequences.
The challenge
Non-pharmaceutical interventions that encourage hygiene practices and physical distancing, including closures of businesses and stay-at-home orders, have been successful at limiting the spread of COVID-19 in countries such as China and South Korea. But their direct applicability in many low- and middle-income countries, where material and social conditions are considerably different, remains unclear. Evidence-based adaptation of NPIs to suit local contexts will improve effectiveness and limit economic and social disruption.
The opportunity
Each member organisation will contribute key competencies to the initiative:
- Ipsos will provide the collection and analysis of data on the impact of COVID-19, behaviours surrounding it, and control measures put in place in African countries.
- Resolve to Save Lives will support Africa CDC and WHO to translate insight from Ipsos data and other sources into country-level, tailored guidelines that support implementation of NPIs while protecting populations.
- Africa CDC will work with the London School of Tropical Medicine and other partners to support the interpretation of key data sources. Africa CDC, which operates across the entire African Union, will support the dissemination of real-time data, supporting member countries to use the information to inform policy and practice.
- World Health Organisation AFRO and EMRO regional offices will provide insight and guidance on COVID-19 epidemiology and science, and support translation of data into guidance to support emergency operations centres and civil society.
- World Economic Forum will work with its vast network of public- and private-sector partners to galvanise a community of action to accelerate the dissemination of real-time data throughout their networks across the African continent.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
