WAHO Providing Financial and Material Support to ECOWAS Member States to fight Covid-19
On the 1st April 2020, the
West African Health Organization issued her statement saying “Since the first case
was reported in Lagos, Nigeria on 27 February 2020. As of yesterday, 31 March
2020, a total of 1,077 new confirmed cases and 31 deaths have been reported
across all 15 Member States. Sierra Leone was the last country in the ECOWAS
region to be affected and reported a confirmed Covid-19 case on 31 March 2020”.
According to the press release dated 1st April 2020, WAHO said that they have distributed over 30,000 diagnostic test kits, 50,000 specimen
transportation kits and 10,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) to member
states to increase effort made by each member states. He also stated that WAHO
has ordered for additional items like ventilators,PPE test kits etc in which
some will arrive in 2 weeks time.
As the Institution designated by the highest
authorities of ECOWAS to lead the coordination, collaboration and communication
in the region with regards to Covid-19 pandemic, WAHO has been very active in
bringing together Member States to adopt a regional approach to the pandemic
and to support them as necessary. On 14
February 2020, a few days after the declaration by WHO of Covid-19 as a Public
Health Emergency of International Concern, The West African Health
Organization, WAHO convened an emergency meeting of the Ministers of Health of
ECOWAS on preparedness and response to the outbreak of Covid-19, the first
region in Africa to do so. The meeting agreed on a unified regional approach to
Covid-19, and held media briefings on the
issue in Bamako, Mali on 14 February 2020, and in Abuja, Nigeria on 17 February
2020.
On that effect, WAHO immediately strengthened
the capacity of all 15 member states to test for Covid-19 through a regional
laboratory training and distribution of diagnostic kits to all member states. WAHO
also conducted several other regional trainings on risk communication,
emergency operations, and a simulation exercise for the regional rapid response
teams. In all the 15 ECOWAS Member States, several actors including health
workers are being mobilized to save lives within the sub-region
These are some stratagies adopted by WAHO in
tackling pandemic.
and also to partnership with other agencies
and bodies to ensure that the region never run out of stock.
Other key actions WAHO is taking to fight this
Covid-19 pandemic is the development of Operational Guides for the fight
against Covid-19 pandemic in the ECOWAS region; and an online training for
healthcare workers on the use of these guides. The online training starts in
the week of 6-12 April 2020.
However, the most important tool in this fight is the behavior of
every citizen. It is of utmost importance that the citizens heed the information
on how to protect themselves and their loved ones, and so stop the spread of
the pandemic in their own community.
Every citizen must:
• Regularly and thoroughly wash hands with soap and water, or if
not possible clean them with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Limit the number of people with whom you are in contact each day
and reduce physical contact to the minimum. Maintain at least 1.5 meter
distance between yourself and anyone, do NOT shake hands, kiss or hug.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, particularly with
unwashed hands since the virus easily infects the body through these areas.
• Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when
you cough or sneeze; then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
• Avoid places of concentration of people, such as sports,
cultural and religious gatherings. These events should be cancelled in all our
communities.
• Stay home if you feel unwell, or if you feel you have come in
contact with someone with Covid-19.
by Raphael O. Duru
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