Concerns have mounted across Africa, Europe and Asia that scientists advising on the spread of COVID-19 are being compromised by close relationships with their governments as second waves of the outbreak peak around the world – and death tolls keep rising as a result.

Between April and September, complacency about the threat posed by the virus mounted across South Africa, according to a COVID-19 democracy survey produced by the country’s Human Sciences Research Council and the University of Johannesburg. The proportion of the public who believed the threat posed by the coronavirus had been exaggerated grew from under 33% to about 41%.

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