New Telegraph

WHO: Over 10,000 African health workers infected with COVID-19

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of the threat posed by COVID-19 to health workers across Africa, saying more than 10,000 health workers in 40 countries have been infected with COVID-19. WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, disclosed this yesterday during a virtual press conference on COVID-19.

There are now more than 750,000 cases of COVID-19, with over 15,000 deaths in Africa. Some countries are approaching a critical number of infections that can place stress on health systems. South Africa is now among the worst hit countries in the world.

Moeti said: “The growth we are seeing in COVID-19 cases in Africa is placing an ever-greater strain on health services across the continent. “This has very real consequences for the individuals who work in them, and there is no more sobering example of this than the rising number of health workers’ infections.” So far, about 10 per cent of all cases globally are among health workers, though there is a wide range between individual countries. In Africa, information on health workers’ infections is still limited, but preliminary data finds that they make up more than five per cent of cases in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa alone, and in four of these, health workers make up more than 10 per cent of all infections.

Inadequate access to personal protective equipment (PPE) or weak infection prevention and control (IPC) measures raises the risk of health workers’ infection. Surging global demand for protective equipment as well as global restrictions on travel has triggered supply shortages. Also, health workers can be exposed to patients who do not show signs of the disease and are in the health facilities for a range of other services. Risks may also arise when health personnel are repurposed for COVID-19 response without adequate briefing, or because of heavy workloads, which result in fatigue, burnout and possibly not fully applying the standard operating procedures. In many African countries, infection prevention and control measures aimed at preventing infections in health facilities are still not fully implemented.

When WHO assessed clinics and hospitals across the continent for these measures, only 16 per cent of the nearly 30,000 facilities surveyed had assessment scores above 75 per cent. Many health centres were found to lack the infrastructure necessary to implement key infection prevention measures, or to prevent overcrowding. Only 7.8 per cent (2,213) had isolation capacities and just a third had the capacity to triage patients.
“One infection among health workers is one too many,” said Dr. Moeti. “Doctors, nurses and other health professionals are our mothers, brothers and sisters. They are helping to save lives endangered by COVID-19. We must make sure that they have the equipment, skills and information they need to keep themselves, their patients and colleagues safe.”

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