[The Conversation Africa] To manage the COVID-19 pandemic, be it from a personal, national or global perspective, we rely on a constant stream of information. A plethora of dashboards have appeared globally that convey information on the number of people tested, those who are positive, the number of deaths and those who have recovered. This information is constantly being updated and forms the basis on which individuals and governments make important decisions. Everything concerning the pandemic, however, appears to be open to inte