By Kemo Cham
The World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa has expressed concern over the high rate of increase of Covid-19 cases in West and Central Africa.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti is worried that the region has one of the weakest healthcare system that left it highly vulnerable and unable to respond to the global pandemic.
“Eleven out of 17 countries with more than 100 cases of COVID-19 are in West and Central Africa. We are working with the governments to better understand what is happening on the ground, but this is worrisome as countries in these subregions often have particularly fragile health systems,” she said.
Dr Moeti was speaking in the context of ongoing distribution of medical supplies by the United Nations, as part of its “Solidarity Flights”, a humanitarian initiative designed to provide much needed medical supplies to countries in desperate situation in relation the pandemic.
The Coronavirus pandemic which began in China in late December 2019, came into Africa just over two months ago. The disease has now spread to 45 countries on the continent, with 13, 104 confirmed cases and around 616 fatalities as of April 18.
South Africa has the highest number of cases in the region.
But, says WHO, West and Central Africa are of growing concern. Cameroon, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea are the top four with rapid rise in numbers during the past week, it said. All four countries are among the top 10 countries with the highest number of cases on the continent.
The “Solidarity Flights” is part of a larger effort to ship lifesaving medical supplies to 95 countries across all six WHO regions. It involves over 130 shipments of Personal Protective Equipment and laboratory supplies shipped from WHO’s logistics hub in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Through this initiative, the global health body has been working closely with its sister UN agency, the World Food Programme (WFP), the African Union (AU) and the Jack Ma foundation, to ensure that vital supplies get to people on the continent who needs it most: front line health workers.
A joint AU, UN press statement said an Ethiopian Airways flight carrying the supplies departed Addis Ababa on April 14.
The cargo contains personal protective equipment like gloves, goggles, gowns, masks, medical aprons and thermometers, as well as more than 400 ventilators and laboratory supplies to support surveillance and detection.
The statement added that the cargo included supplies donated by foundations managed by the Chinese billionaire Jack Ma and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed.
According to the WHO, every country in the region is to benefit from the package.
The African Union, through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), is providing technical support and coordination for the distribution of the supplies.
“Commercial flights are grounded and medical cargo is stuck. We can stop this virus in its tracks, but we’ve got to work together. WFP is committed to getting vital medical supplies to front lines and shielding medical workers as they save lives,” said David Beasley, WFP’s Executive Director.
A lack of personal protective equipment is already hampering response in many countries in Africa, making deliveries such as these – and the spirit of generosity and solidarity that underpin them – more essential than ever, said WHO. Healthcare workers, it added, are often disproportionately affected by infectious disease outbreaks and there is some evidence that COVID-19 is threatening health workers in Africa.
In Niger, for example, 32 health workers have already tested positive for COVID-19, making up 7.2% of total cases, according to WHO.
The second confirmed case in Sierra Leone, recorded on April 1, was a medical doctor. Since then, the Emergency Operation Center, which is coordinating the country’s response to the pandemic, say there have been a substantial increase in cases among healthcare workers.
“For countries to ramp up testing, tracing and treatment capacity, they need supplies and solidarity. There is enough personal protective equipment in this shipment to allow health workers from across Africa to treat 30, 000 patients without putting themselves at risk. This equipment will keep them safe and let them focus on saving lives,” said Dr Moeti.
“These cargo flights demonstrate the power of international co-operation and collective action,” she added.
African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said the organization valued the efforts of its partners in supporting the African continental strategy for COVID-19 response.
“The medical supplies are much needed at this critical time that medical commodities are in short supply worldwide,” he said.
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