key: cord-352670-21r0cwsc
authors: Muyingo, Rajab Idd; Mpoza, Abdulhamid; Kasadha, Juma
title: Coronavirus in the era of digital connectivity: Opportunities and challenges
date: 2020-08-02
journal: J Public Aff
DOI: 10.1002/pa.2246
sha: 
doc_id: 352670
cord_uid: 21r0cwsc

In this article, we examine the opportunities and challenges digital connectedness creates in the fight against epidemics, in particular the coronavirus (COVID‐19). We deduce that digital connectedness of individuals and organizations eased sharing of information on the causes and measures aimed at controlling and avoid the rapid spread of the epidemic in developing economies of Africa. We conclude that digital connectedness enabled African countries to access; share and implement globally suggested mechanisms aimed at controlling the spread of the COVID‐19 epidemic. Future, studies should examine how African economies use digital connectedness to increase individual and organizational participation in curbing epidemics and also boost health management.

In this article, we examine the opportunities and challenges digital connectedness creates in the fight against epidemics, in particular the coronavirus . We deduce that digital connectedness of individuals and organizations eased sharing of information on the causes and measures aimed at controlling and avoid the rapid spread of the epidemic in developing economies of Africa. We conclude that digital connectedness enabled African countries to access; share and implement globally suggested mechanisms aimed at controlling the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Future, studies should examine how African economies use digital connectedness to increase individual and organizational participation in curbing epidemics and also boost health management. Organization officially named the coronavirus as COVID-19 (Aljazeera, 2020) . COVID-19 is currently estimated to have registered over 50,000 cases in over 24 countries and resulted in over 1,381 deaths (ICA, 2020).

In developing economies (Kasadha, 2018 (Kasadha, , 2020 , digital connectivity has increased community mobilization in response to their which has not yet been reported in Africa, the continent has often engaged its communities in the fight against other epidemics such as swine fever and Ebola viruses. For instance, the "African swine fever (ASF) a viral hemorrhagic disease, caused by a large double-stranded DNA virus with an icosahedral symmetry, many African nations reacted to it during its infancy level. Since its first description in Kenya, the disease was reported in various countries around the world such as China, but remaining endemic in Sardinia, East Africa, and Southern Africa, where it represents a major threat for development of the pig industry" (Kalenzi, Ochwo, Afayoa, Norbert, Kokas, Arinaitwe, et al., 2013; Montgomery, 1921; Mwiine, Nkamwesiga, Ndekezi, & Sylvester, 2019; Rowlands, Michaud, Heath, Hutchings, Oura, Vosloo, et al., 2008; Sánchez-Cordón, Montoya, Reis, & Dixon, 2018) .

We further, connote that digital connectivity has enabled China to meet its social responsibility (Bowd, Bowd, & Harris, 2006) 

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