In vast and varied rural South Africa, Covid-19 vaccines are making their way to the people by rail. The Transvaco train is a moving vaccine station delivering virus protection to communities beyond.



ON THE N6 highway in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, towards the coastal city of East London, the flat dry expanse of the highveld begins to give way to rolling hills along the shoreline.



The second-largest province in the country at over 65,000 square miles, it’s of a size that you can’t easily cover on four wheels.



Across an occasional bridge, far on the horizon, locomotives shimmer, chugging along into the rural landscapes, carrying goods and logistical services into some of South Africa’s remotest parts.



One such trainset, christened Transvaco, is a health innovation on rails.



At the time that FORBES AFRICA visited in October, it was parked in the East London central train station and provided a unique service – vaccination against Covid-19 to people who can’t otherwise access them.



“The Transvaco initiative allows us to offer vaccines to patients in rural areas who do not have easy access to 



healthcare facilities, like the hospitals or clinics,” says Dr Paballo Mokwana, Transvaco’s manager, to FORBES AFRICA. “We run on the railway lines, which makes it easier for patients to come through to us as opposed to going to a normal hospital.”



Mokwana, a physician who originally specialized in dentistry, has a passion for public health and has worked in the space for over a decade. Small in stature, but with a commanding presence, her friendly demeanor and professionalism can be seen reflected in her interactions with staff and patients.



Privatized healthcare in South Africa is of a high standard but inaccessible to most residents, and doctors like Mokwana strongly believe in making the widest impact they can – this is particularly the case when it comes to access to rural healthcare.



Access to healthcare in South Africa is reportedly challenging in general, but particular obstacles in both infrastructure and distance make this worse for rural citizens, reported to be around 47% of the population (as per Stats SA, 2013). Income inequality has a clear correlation between distance to healthcare facilities, with the country’s poorest living farthest from public health infrastructure. Any historian will tell you that much of this geographical policy is a legacy of apartheid and the homeland system, which left many communities across the country segregated along racial lines in far-flung parts of the country.



This has clear medical consequences according to reports – provinces with high rural populations such as the Eastern Cape 



tend to have higher levels of infant mortality and lower levels of immunization in particular.



However, while healthcare infrastructure in rural areas is clearly a challenge both in terms of development and access, South Africa’s railway infrastructure is the most- developed on the continent.



Historically driven by an urge to foster easier trade with South Africa’s neighbors, and then to link all of the British territories in Africa, much of the existing railway infrastructure is managed by Transnet, a publicly-owned company responsible for the management of rail, port and pipelines in the country.



Despite extensive cable theft in recent years which has damaged some of the country’s railways, rail remains a fundamental means of accessing rural South Africa, with thousands of citizens – some 10% of the population – making use of the public railway infrastructure every day.



“One must obviously take into consideration the existing problems faced by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), but the Transvaco initiative is a great initiative – the idea of using it to vaccinate and encourage commuters to take the jab is a great one,” says Zukiswa Vuka of #UniteBehind, a civil society coalition that mobilizes around many issues including public transport.



Railway-based healthcare is a novel idea, but not for South Africa, which has run a similar initiative from Transnet previously with two other trains, christened Phelophepa I and Phelophepa II. Commissioned in 1994 and still operating to this day, the Phelophepa trains render primary healthcare initiatives which include general medical consultations, dental, optical, mental health and pharmacy services to rural South Africans by rail.



Transvaco was born with this awareness in mind. Transnet Engineering CEO Ralph Mills and Transnet CEO Portia Derby were visiting the Phelophepa trains late last year, discussing the practicalities of vaccine distribution in a country as vast and varied as South Africa, and the question of the rural distribution of vaccines came up. Derby was immediately supportive of the suggestion – tasking Mills with the practicalities of the development of a vaccine-focused trainset.



“Portia [Derby] asked me if we could build a vaccination trainset – I said ‘yes we could’ immediately&#8230;,” says Mills.



As it turns out, it wasn’t that difficult.



“Transnet has done a project like this before,” says Mokwana. “We have what we call the Phelophepa healthcare trains, which offer healthcare services also on the railway lines, traveling to rural areas that do not have access to healthcare facilities, they offer dental services and normal healthcare services and eye care. So when Transvaco came about, it built and designed off a pre-existing model that has been tried and tested for over 27 years. And hence when the need came to assist the government in vaccinating people, this model was used.”



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h1 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-breaking-stereotypes-on-the-move">Breaking Stereotypes On The Move</h1>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-5-of-11-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53843" width="661" height="441" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-5-of-11-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-5-of-11-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-5-of-11-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-5-of-11-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-5-of-11-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 661px) 100vw, 661px" /><figcaption> Dr Paballo Mokwana, train manager of the Transvaco vaccination train, in East London</figcaption></figure></div>



Dr Paballo Mokwana is currently Transvaco’s train manager. Mokwana studied medicine at the University of Pretoria, and completed her community service in 2013. After performing locum work for a year and a half, she joined the Phelophepa family and has not left since. “It’s the first real job I had, and it’s all I’ve done,” she says.



Two out of the three Transnet health trainsets are female-run, which is not unusual according to Mokwana. “We’ve broken all of the norms when it comes to that. In the medical sector, it was for a very long time male-dominated, on the trains, it’s a 50/50 split&#8230; nursing has been typically female, we’re seeing those barriers being broken [on the health trains].”



Committed to public health, Mokwana speaks on the impact of working on the Phelophepa and Transvaco trains on both herself and the patients they serve. “For me, it’s joy and fulfilment in helping someone who can’t afford or access high-end medical attention, seeing somebody deserving of something access it&#8230; we know we’ve really made a difference and impacted someone’s life, and for me, that’s fulfilling!”



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These two trains serve around 360,000 persons annually, and when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it was a natural progression to consider a similar initiative once the vaccines became available. It was from this that Transvaco was born.



“The Transnet train, Transvaco, is an innovation to take the vaccination to people in transport nodes and it will encourage a lot of people to vaccinate,” Gauteng Premier David Makhura said during the launch of the train earlier this year.



The trainset was manufactured over less than nine months, after a trial period of vaccinations through the Phelophepa trains was a success. At a cost of $1.5 million, the Transvaco trainset makes use of some existing carriage systems which helped to reduce costs and keep construction time to a minimum.



However, vaccine administration required some specialized differences – specifically with regard to the storage of the vaccines, which includes two ultra-low temperature refrigeration systems that allow for the holding of both the single dose Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine and the two-shot Pfizer vaccine.



Transvaco offers all patients the choice as to which vaccine they receive, something not common at other public health vaccination sites in the country, with the reasoning that since the train is only in each location for two weeks at a time, patients may not be able to easily get their second vaccination shot easily elsewhere.



“It’s not unique in terms of equipment,” says Mills. “We took the concept of a health train and made it smaller, with 10 coaches, a light train that could be hauled by 18-tonne locomotives anywhere in the country. The primary difference were the two ultra-low vaccine freezers which had to be imported.”



Working on the Transvaco train offers a different experience of vaccination to both patients and staff in comparison to standard public healthcare.



Veteran nurse Bongani Nxumalo, who has worked in state healthcare in pediatrics and labor wards as well as NGOs across the country, has found it to be a personally rewarding experience working on a platform that makes contact with South Africans across the country. “It’s quite different [from state healthcare] because we’re moving from station to station, province to province – we are experiencing people with different visions of life&#8230; with their own perspectives. It’s made us grow as medical staff learning how to manage and deal with patients, especially when it comes to vaccinations,” says Nxumalo to FORBES AFRICA.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-3-of-11-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53844" width="390" height="259" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-3-of-11-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-3-of-11-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-3-of-11-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-3-of-11-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-3-of-11-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 390px) 100vw, 390px" /><figcaption> Rendzo Marima, chief pharmacist of the Transvaco train, retrieves vaccines from the specialized freezer on the train.</figcaption></figure></div>



Mokwana holds similar sentiments; appreciating the diversity of patients that the Transvaco train services and the importance 



of managing this when it comes to vaccine administration; “Interacting with so many different people you get to appreciate and understand how important healthcare services are, especially when people do not have easy access to it. We are able to reach a large number of people who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to access the vaccination drive.”



“At Rovos Rail, we are pro-vaccination,” says Brenda Vos, Communications Manager at Rovos Rail, a bespoke rail-tour operator which provides luxury excursions in Africa. “The more people in rural areas want to be vaccinated and have access, it’s a good thing, because otherwise you might have to travel for a long time to get access to vaccination in a city clinic.”



Even Mills was surprised. As part of an internal marketing initiative to promote vaccination within Transnet, Mills received his first dose of the vaccine on Transvaco – and due to the experience, so did his entire family. “It’s really the best risk-reduction element we have,” he says. “Vaccination is the only thing that will really make a difference, otherwise we’ll always be swinging between these waves.” 



This plays a particularly important role when it comes to vaccine hesitancy, which is something the staff of Transvaco have had experience managing. Meta analyses of Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy in South Africa indicate that by and large, South Africans understand the value and need to become vaccinated against Covid-19; however, also emergent in these results is that urbanicity – that is, the degree to which an area is urbanized – is an influencing factor in vaccine acceptance (Cooper et al, 2021).



Hand in hand with the rise of Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy is of course the massive rise of vaccine misinformation, which is something many of the Transvaco visitors have been exposed to.



“Some people have said that maybe we are being sent by the government to kill them [with the vaccine]. There are those who will just tell you, ‘I don’t trust the vaccine’,” says Nxumalo, clearly frustrated. “We are a people who love to go off on social media, and people create their own stories. I tell them, ‘do your research, you can’t rely on something that you’ve just been told by someone on social media’.”



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-6-of-11-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53848" width="542" height="361" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-6-of-11-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-6-of-11-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-6-of-11-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-6-of-11-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Transvaco-Forbes-6-of-11-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 542px) 100vw, 542px" /><figcaption> A nurse prepares to administer a Covid-19 vaccine on the train</figcaption></figure></div>



Though the train’s unique access to rural areas by means of railway infrastructure is certainly one of its advantages, the one aspect that seems to draw people in to visit Transvaco for their vaccinations, besides sheer curiosity, is the welcoming nature of the staff. “I only came here because I know the people are friendly, and it would be empty compared to the clinics,” says Lena, who hopped on to the train to receive the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine.



From East London and having easy access to vaccination at local clinics, Lena decided on Transvaco because of the staff ’s reputation for both friendliness and efficiency, something not always associated with public healthcare in South Africa – this despite her own fear and hesitation at getting her first shot. “I’m a bit nervous – but it’s mainly because I’m scared of needles.”



This reputation for friendliness has also seen a disproportionate number of foreign nationals making use of the Transvaco sites. 



“One of the experiences that stands out for me is with foreign nationals. They are more receptive to the train,” attests Mokwana. As the numbers of people coming in and out of the station due to Transvaco increases, ancillary benefits can be seen the traders and vendors crowding around the outside of the station, with their wares on small tables under umbrellas – snacks, cold drinks and cigarettes are on offer.



These informal traders, battered by Covid-19 and the ensuing lockdowns, have taken advantage of the increased traffic around the station.



“They tell them after the shot you must have something to drink and rest,” one trader says. “They are buying cold drinks from me every day, but today the train is going.” As FORBES AFRICA prepared to depart from the site on a Friday afternoon after spending two days with the staff and documenting their operations, it is clear that the Transvaco initiative does still confront the normative challenges facing public health and vaccination in South Africa.



The hum of the trainset’s diesel generator reverberates in the background, a constant reminder of the electricity crisis still gripping the country that Transvaco must guard against, particularly to protect its precious vaccine stock – this as Mokwana speaks candidly of the occasional delays transiting between sites as the train is held up due to cable theft.



Despite this, as the sun begins to set on the Eastern Cape, new arrivals still trickle in to get their vaccination shots on the eve of the weekend when traditionally numbers wane, and one can’t help but think that the Transvaco train is one of the innovative approaches to combating the pandemic.

Transvaco Forbes (8 of 11)

VACCINES ON RAILS-The Community Platform

TOPLINE Despite the deadly wave of delta variant coronavirus that overwhelmed hospitals and sent death rates soaring, high numbers of Americans are still refusing Covid-19 vaccines, according to a new <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-october-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">poll</a> by the Kaiser Family Foundation, underscoring the challenges officials face as they try to move beyond the pandemic.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



One in five Americans said they would never get a Covid-19 shot (16%) or would only do so if required (4%), according to the Kaiser poll, conducted October 14-24 among 1,519 U.S. adults.



Around a third of Republicans (31%) and rural residents (33%)—the groups most opposed to vaccination—said they would definitely not get the shot, the poll found, with a further 3% and 2%, respectively, saying they would only do so if required.



The poll also found strong vaccine opposition among uninsured people under 65 (28% said they would definitely not get the jab or only do so if required), white evangelical Christians (26%), those aged 30-49 (25%), men (24%) and adults without a college degree (23%).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Partisan divides persisted among vaccinated adults, Kaiser found, with nearly four in 10 (38%) fully vaccinated Republicans saying they probably or definitely would not get a booster shot if one was made available to them, nearly four times the number of like-minded Democrats (9%).&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



A quarter (25%) of workers said their employer has required them to get vaccinated, Kaiser found. Just over half (51%) of workers not subject to a vaccine mandate at work said they did not want their employer to do so (vs 21% who do). Unsurprisingly, these figures change when split by vaccination status, with nearly three times as many (90%) unvaccinated adults saying they do not want their employer to require vaccination as vaccinated adults (35%).&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



More than a third (37%) of unvaccinated workers said they would leave their jobs if their employer required vaccination even if they offered a testing alternative, Kaiser found. If no testing option was available, this rose to 72%. A third (32%) of Republicans polled said they already know someone who has left a job over a vaccine mandate.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/09/21/half-of-vaccinated-americans-might-not-spend-the-holidays-with-unvaccinated-family-and-friends-poll-finds/?sh=4b7532dd349a">Patience</a>&nbsp;with the unvaccinated is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3kxtPHVHZE&amp;ab_channel=ForbesBreakingNews" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wearing thin</a>&nbsp;at many levels of government, in corporate America and among vaccinated Americans. Despite an abundant vaccine supply and every adult (and many children) having been eligible for months, a significant portion of the U.S. population remains unvaccinated. Resistance to vaccines has remained steady for months, according to polls by Kaiser and other firms, despite material changes to the pandemic and the spread of the delta variant. The surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths seen over the summer was driven almost entirely by unvaccinated people,&nbsp; Employers have been implementing their own policies to encourage vaccination among workers and in early September, President Biden announced sweeping new mandates covering all businesses with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/09/us/politics/biden-mandates-vaccines.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">more than 100 employees</a>&nbsp;to require their workers get vaccinated or be tested weekly. The policies&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2021/10/04/covid-19-vaccine-mandates-are-working-heres-the-proof/?sh=2e0aa65f2305">appear</a>&nbsp;to be working, with vaccination rates shooting up among workforces after requirements were announced.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/09/05/by-the-numbers-whos-refusing-covid-vaccinations-and-why/?sh=66b5e62552ea">By The Numbers: Who’s Refusing Covid Vaccinations—And Why</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/08/03/most-unvaccinated-americans-dont-feel-responsible-for-surging-covid-cases-poll-suggests---heres-who-they-blame/?sh=35850d41c8e0">Most Unvaccinated Americans Don’t Feel Responsible For Surging Covid Cases, Poll Suggests — Here’s Who They Blame</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/08/19/the-cost-of-being-unvaccinated-just-went-up---most-insurers-are-passing-costs-back-to-patients-as-covid-hospitalizations-soar/?sh=79abb26ebd9a">The Cost Of Being Unvaccinated Just Went Up — Most Insurers Are Passing Costs Back To Patients As Covid Hospitalizations Soar</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/08/delta-has-changed-pandemic-endgame/619726/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How The Pandemic Now Ends</a>&nbsp;(The Atlantic)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/06/11/here-are-the-biggest-groups-that-are-still-refusing-the-covid-19-vaccine-poll-finds/?sh=4b17342242cc">Here Are The Biggest Groups That Are Still Refusing The Covid-19 Vaccine, Poll Finds</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2021/10/04/covid-19-vaccine-mandates-are-working-heres-the-proof/?sh=2e0aa65f2305">Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates Are Working—Here’s The Proof</a> (Forbes)



By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff

Kenya Vaccinates Elderly Against Covid-19

1 In 5 Adults Still Reject Covid Vaccines, Poll Finds — Here Are The Biggest Groups Still Holding Out

Thailand Rolls Out Pfizer Vaccine

Covid’s Forgotten Hero: The Untold Story Of The Scientist Whose Breakthrough Made The Vaccines Possible

As a Biden win becomes increasingly likely, investors on Wall Street are turning their focus to the possibility of another round of fiscal stimulus, vaccine data for phase-three candidates and potential central bank measures to boost economic activity and keep inflation in line with targets.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h4>



Vaccination is &#8220;essential for the normalization of the economy,&#8221; Goldman Sachs said in a recent note, and wealth advisory Glenmede doesn’t expect earnings will reach new highs until the second half of 2021, which lines up with estimates for widespread vaccine delivery.



A slew of vaccine data is expected in the coming days and weeks from drug-makers such as Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZenaca and Johnson &amp; Johnson–all of which have said they expect clinical trial results before the end of the year.&nbsp;



Central bank easing from the Federal Reserve is perhaps &#8220;the biggest macro topic not receiving enough attention,&#8221; notes Vital Knowledge Media Founder Adam Crisafulli notes, but that should start to change domestically on Thursday, as the Federal Reserve concludes one of its eight annual Federal Open Market Committee meetings, during which it often makes key monetary policy decisions.



Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), &#8220;an erstwhile obstacle&#8221; to the package, per Crisafulli,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/11/04/mcconnell-changes-his-tune-on-stimulus-we-need-to-do-it-before-the-end-of-the-year/?sh=30c0b0056e41">changed his tune on stimulus</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday, saying Congress should pass another bill by year&#8217;s end and suggested assistance be given to state and local governments–a sticking point for the Democrats&#8217; lead negotiator, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).



Fiscal stimulus to state and local governments is now expected to be less generous than under a Blue Wave scenario, UBS noted on Wednesday.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



The election outcome that Wall Street thinks is now most likely–a Biden victory and a split Congress–&#8221;couldn’t have been better for stocks,&#8221; Crisafulli noted on Thursday–a sentiment echoed by many Wall Street experts since Wednesday given that a split Congress makes it unlikely Biden&#8217;s proposed corporate tax hike becomes law. The economic recovery, on the other hand, remains sluggish and awash with disparities such as continued job losses despite better-than-expected corporate earnings (especially in tech). Meanwhile, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2020/11/05/day-after-election-us-records-all-time-high-of-103000-new-covid-19-cases/">ongoing surge</a>&nbsp;in new Covid-19 cases further stains the economic outlook, fueling discussions about the need for a coronavirus vaccine and further fiscal relief.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h4>



Top vaccine candidate AstraZeneca PLC anticipates results from its late-stage trials later this year, the British drug-maker&nbsp;<a href="https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/dam/az/PDF/2020/q3/Year-to-date_and_Q3_2020_results_announcement.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Thursday</a>&nbsp;when it reported third-quarter earnings. It&#8217;s unclear, however, how soon it could roll those out, and the firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/05/astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-drugmaker-under-pressure-to-deliver.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previously missed</a>&nbsp;a September target to deliver 30 million vaccines in the United Kingdom. &#8220;Even if the vaccine numbers are spectacular,&#8221; Crisafulli says, &#8220;it still won’t be until the spring or summer when these will be made available to the general population.&#8221;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h4>



$1.9 trillion. That’s the largest amount Mnuchin offered for the stimulus package before the election, much higher than the amount Senate Republicans have been eyeing (they&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/27/politics/stimulus-negotiations-republican-plan/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">proposed</a>&nbsp;a $1 trillion bill in July), but still below the $2.2 trillion proposal House Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/10/01/house-passes-22-trillion-stimulus-bill-but-that-doesnt-mean-1200-checks-and-more-unemployment-benefits-are-on-the-way/">passed</a>&nbsp;in October.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h4>



Morgan Stanley said in a weekend note that it’s unlikely Federal Reserve policymakers will “soften their call for additional fiscal support”, adding that despite a better-than-expected recovery, and a return to pre-Covid economic levels that could happen in the second quarter, “Policymakers have not let this economic momentum distract from the deep structural problems, particularly in the labor market, that could unfold over the longer run in the absence of further fiscal support.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT WE DON&#8217;T KNOW</h4>



Election results. Razor thin margins remain a theme across pending state vote counts. As of early Thursday afternoon, former vice president Joe Biden was leading President Trump in the electoral college,<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/11/04/electoral-college-2020-biden-takes-wisconsin-bringing-him-close-to-electoral-win/?sh=724504634448">&nbsp;with 264 votes</a>, as called by AP, compared with Trump&#8217;s 214. The Senate race, on the other hand, was leaning<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/11/04/6-senate-seats-yet-to-be-called---heres-where-the-race-stands/">&nbsp;solidly Republican</a>.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/11/04/mcconnell-changes-his-tune-on-stimulus-we-need-to-do-it-before-the-end-of-the-year/">McConnell Changes His Tune On Stimulus: ‘We Need To Do It Before The End Of The Year’</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2020/11/05/stocks-election-results-dow-unemployment/">Stocks Keep Surging As Election Results Appear To Clear Up, But Unemployment Data Is Still Ugly</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/11/05/unemployment-claims-remain-above-pre-pandemic-highs-with-no-more-federal-aid-in-sight/">Unemployment Claims Remain Above Pre-Pandemic Highs With No More Federal Aid In Sight</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2020/11/04/election-stocks-that-are-surging-and-tanking/">Here Are The Stocks That Are Surging–And Tanking–As Blue Wave Hopes Fade</a> (Forbes)



-By Jonathan Ponciano,Forbes Staff

Genetic test

A Biden Win And Split Congress Is Wall Street’s Best-Case Scenario, Now Investors Turn Focus To These 3 Big Issues

Most food and pharmaceuticals require numerous cold chain interventions before reaching consumers. Sub-Saharan Africa lacks in this respect but there are some solutions.



Cold chain solutions comprising both storage and logistics are an integral part of all developed economies and most people are not aware of how extensively they are utilized within businesses and products. A significant portion of all food and pharmaceuticals require numerous cold chain interventions before reaching consumers. These interventions occur in a variety of sectors, ranging from agriculture, dairy, meat and poultry, pharmaceuticals, food manufacturing, supermarkets and HORECA (hotels, restaurants and café services).



The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have highlighted the role that cold chain solutions play in global food and pharmaceutical security. Sub-Saharan Africa is a case in point. There is a prevalent lack of cold chain solutions, exacerbating these two topics.



For a long time, food manufacturing and distribution lines in Europe and the United States have solved product seasonality problems through utilizing global supply lines and temperature-controlled storage to ensure year-round product availability. However, as a result of Covid-19, we see examples of food supply lines breaking down or cold storage facilities being overstretched. This has resulted in price inflation or some food items not being available. In some cases, these breakdowns have resulted in products being dumped or food producers temporarily ceasing operations.



In Africa, a significant portion of fresh produce reaches consumers via air freight, as many countries do not have third-party solutions for products to be chilled or frozen and transported by cheaper means via sea, road and rail. Additionally, lack of cold chain solutions has resulted in a significant portion of these countries having lower levels of food manufacturing and therefore, they export lower-value raw products and import higher-value finished goods.



ARCH has been researching the lack of investment into cold chain solutions in Africa for some time. This stems mostly from commercial operators continuing investments in their home markets or in markets perceived to be less risky, like Asia. We therefore developed a specialist fund with relevant experts that allows for patient and development-focused capital as a means to rapidly deploy investment to meet the immediate need in Africa. In November 2019, we launched the first fully-dedicated fund, the Cold Chain Solutions East Africa Fund, with an expectation to launch additional African regional funds shortly.



The first fund aims to create a third-party cold chain solution provider on a regional basis in East Africa, by building and operating eight to 10 cold storage facilities. The fund will develop businesses in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda with integrated end-to-end logistics.



The funds also aim to target development issues. Food security has been a critically-consistent issue in Africa for many decades. This issue has been further highlighted as a result of Covid-19 and other current regional concerns such as the potential locust plague in East Africa. However, it should be noted that many staple food crops like potato and other root vegetables can be stored in temperature-controlled environments for up to 12 months. Due to a lack of cold chain solutions in many of these regions of Africa, most crops are only seasonally available with price variations between peak harvest and low season reaching up to 500% under normal conditions.



Another highlighted issue as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has been in the area of pharmaceuticals and in particular, vaccines. There are several studies undertaken in Africa which suggest that a lack of or inappropriate use of cold chain solutions results in <a href="https://controlant.com/blog/2019/how-controlant-is-ensuring-safe-vaccine-delivery-through-africa-in-partnership-with-global-good/">vaccine waste that reaches up to 50%.</a> This is even more important in an era where everyone is watching daily news headlines for signs of a potential Covid-19 vaccine.



Unlike the developed world where temperature-controlled storage and logistics are generally operated separately, our offering in Africa will integrate storage and logistics solutions, ensuring customers have an end-to-end temperature-controlled environment for their products. In each country, we are undertaking operations with local partners who have extensive experience in logistics operations, ensuring we have relevant local knowledge and expertise.



Our first facility is to be based in Nairobi, where we are about to secure land at the industrial park, Tatu City. Concept designs are completed for a 12,000sqm facility that will commence operations in mid-2021 with the full roll-out of facilities in all countries envisaged within three to four years.



– By Jared Irving, Managing Director, Africa, for ARCH Emerging Markets Partners Limited, based in London.

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