As countries have struggled with disease and death throughout the coronavirus pandemic, one part of the world seems to have been mostly spared: central and western Africa.

South Africa was deeply affected by waves of the coronavirus, as were countries in East Africa like Kenya and Uganda. But nations in the center and west of the continent appear to have been largely spared.

What is behind these low case and death rates — and what does that tell us about the future of the pandemic?

Guest: Stephanie Nolen, a global health reporter for The New York Times.

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Background reading: 

• The coronavirus was expected to devastate Africa, but higher-income and better-prepared countries appear to have fared far worse.

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