The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday said the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak is slowing in some of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, like Spain, Italy, Germany and France, while Africa is experiencing an acceleration, especially in rural areas where the health system is weak.
Globally, nearly 1.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now been reported to WHO, and more than 92,000 deaths, Africa has recorded nearly 12,000 cases.
“I want to take a moment to highlight Africa, where we are seeing the spread of the virus to rural areas. We are now seeing clusters of cases and community spread in more than 16 countries,” Director-General WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference.
“We anticipate severe hardship for already overstretched health systems, particularly in rural areas, which normally lack the resources of those in cities,” Ghebreyesus added.
The DG said the recent meeting of the G20 countries where they expressed strong support for Africa, must be expedited.
Ghebreyesus however, cautioned some countries are already planning the transition out of stay-at-home restrictions, explaining that lifting restrictions too quickly could lead to a deadly resurgence.
“The way down can be as dangerous as the way up if not managed properly,” he said.
The DG further said WHO is particularly concerned by the large numbers of infections reported among health workers, describing the trend as alarming
“In some countries there are reports of more than 10 percent of health workers being infected. When health workers are at risk, we’re all at risk,” he said.
According to him, evidence from China, Italy, Singapore, Spain and the United States reveals that some health workers are actually being infected outside health facilities, in their homes or communities. While within health facilities, common problems are the late recognition of COVID-19, or lack of training or inexperience in dealing with respiratory pathogens.
“Many health workers are also being exposed to large numbers of patients in long shifts with inadequate rest periods,” Ghebreyesus added.
This trend, according to the WHO DG makes it even more important that health workers are able to access the masks, gloves, gowns and other PPE they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.
Godsgift Onyedinefu, Abuja
