In the movie Blood Diamond, Leonard DiCaprio explains that things can often work differently in Africa, using the acronym, T.I.A. This is Africa. Let’s tweak that slightly for today’s lead: This is Ambiguous. When the pandemic first hit, we were overwhelmed with stories of how bad things would get in Africa. “Into Year Three of the pandemic, new research shows there is no longer any question of whether Covid has spread widely in Africa. It has.” But the death numbers have been remarkably low. Is it because of the relatively young population? Is it because of the climate or time spent outdoors? Is it because the deaths just aren’t being reported? Whatever it is, solving the mystery could go a long way towards helping us solve the mysteries of Covid itself. NYT (Gift Article): Trying to Solve a Covid Mystery: Africa’s Low Death Rates.

+ NextDraft Live: I’ll be in discussion with DJ Patil (America’s first Chief Data Scientist) at the Commonwealth Club in SF on April 18. If you’re local, join us in person. If not, join us online. Tickets here.