Covid-19 Heavily Jolts Africa's Health Workforce
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THE AFRICAN STORY ADVERTISE WITH US DON’T BE LEFT BEHIND ISSUE NUMBER 760 VOLUME 2 15 MAR - 21 MARCH 2021 Credible elections key in boosting Zambia’s IMF bailout package chances - Economist page 3 Tanzania denies Magufuli sick with COVID-19 page 4 Countries gear-up COVID-19 to kick all forms of polio out of Africa, HEAVILY JOLTS once and for all AFRICA’S HEALTH page 5 Wonderful WORKFORCE Savuti: Botswana’s According to WHO, health worker wilderness infections stand at 3.5% of the total untamed cases in the continent page 13 2 Echo Report Echo Newspaper 15 Mar - 21 Mar 2021 THE AFRICAN STORY News, Finance, Travel and Sport Telephone: (267) 3933 805/6. E-mail: newsdesk@echo. co.bw Advertising Telephone: (267) 3933 805/6 E-mail: [email protected] Sales & Marketing Manager Ruele Ramoeng [email protected] Editor Bright Kholi [email protected] Head of Design Ame Kolobetso [email protected] COVID-19 heavily jolts Distribution & Circulation Mogapi Ketletseng [email protected] Echo is published by Africa’s health workforce YMH Publishing YMH Publishing, Unit 3, Kgale Court, Plot 128, World Health Organisation To date, more than 100 000 Botswana, Gabon, Mauritius, doctors, nurses and other GIFP, Gaborone (WHO) Regional Director for health workers have contracted Seychelles and South Africa have health workers stretched to Postal address: Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti has COVID-19 in the African region. registered the highest testing the limit. Several studies have P O BOX 840, said since its outbreak Covid-19 Health worker infections account rates. identified lack of personal Gaborone, has heavily shaken the health for 3.5% of the total number of Following a second wave which protective equipment, exposure Botswana Telephone: (267) 3933 805/6. workforce in Africa, with more cases in the region. peaked at much higher numbers to COVID-19 patients, work E-mail: [email protected] than 100 000 heatlh workers This she said as Africa is poised than Africa’s first surge, new overload, poor infection www.echo.co.bw having contracted Covid-19 to cross the 4 million COVID-19 case numbers declined for five prevention and control measures to date. infections this week since the weeks, and then plateaued as the main risk factors associated DISCLAIMER: Dr Moeti, while addressing the continent’s first confirmed case during the past three weeks with infections in health Echo Newspaper welcomes concise letters from readers. weekly virtual press conference in February 2020. The year- at around 70 000 cases per facilities.” Letters must carry the last week, highlighted that due long battle against the virus, week. In the last week, there However, WHO has supported full name and address of to the nature of their work at which has also claimed over has been a slight uptick in new countries to strengthen the sender. Letters must the frontline of fighting the 106 000 lives, is now receiving cases and an upward trend in COVID-19 infection prevention conform to the laws of pandemic, health worker must a crucial boost with the arrival 12 countries, including in Cote and control, developed and Botswana and to the Press Council of Botswana’s Code be at the top of the lists to receive of vaccines through the COVAX d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and Cameroon. disseminated guidance on health Of Ethics. Letters will also be Vaccines as rollout gets under Facility – a multi-partner vaccine While deaths reported have worker infection prevention edited for length, libel and way. procurement platform. dropped by more than 50% over as well as helped train more language. “The pandemic has nearly Laboratory diagnosis of the the past 28 days compared with than 200 000 health workers. knocked loose the linchpin of virus in the African region has the previous 28 days, the case With partner organizations, the health systems in many improved greatly over the past fatality ratio or the proportion of WHO has also shipped more countries,” said Dr Moeti. three months, with tests nearly deaths among confirmed cases than 6.4 million rapid diagnosis “We must further protect and doubling to 243 per 10 000 people is at 3.6% for the past 28 days. test kits to African countries to equip our health workers to up from 149 tests per 10 000 This is higher than the global boost COVID-19 testing even in effectively contribute to the people. More than 27 million average. remote areas. efforts to contain COVID-19. tests have been performed in “Africa’s health systems have Everyone’s wellbeing is at stake the region to date. Cabo Verde, been severely tested, with Additional Reporting: WHO. without an adequately supported health workforce.” Read more Echo Dr Moeti further said every stories on our COVID-19 vaccine delivery to Facebook page by Africa is a step towards equity and ensuring, people get their scanning the QR livelihoods back, “But doses will code below with remain limited and it’s critical your mobile phone that frontline health workers and other priority groups are at the front of the queue. Health workers deserve protection because without their pivotal role, efforts against the pandemic can go only so far.” According to Moeti, since the beginning of the pandemic, 267 health worker infections have been recorded on average every day, translating to 11 new health worker infections per hour. Echo Newspaper 15 Mar - 21 Mar 2021 Echo Report 3 along with similar comments The former chemistry teacher from Tanzania’s ambassador in has mocked coronavirus tests, Namibia, Modestus Kipilimba, denounced vaccines as part of were the first official reactions a Western conspiracy to take since concerns surfaced at the Africa’s wealth, and opposed start of this week. mask-wearing and social “He’s OK, he’s going on distancing. with his job,” Kipilimba told Tanzania stopped reporting Namibia media. Neither NBC coronavirus data in May last nor Tanzania’s state broadcaster year when it had reported 509 showed video of Magufuli in cases and 21 deaths, according their reports. to the WHO, which has urged Kenya’s Nation newspaper had the government to be more on Wednesday cited unidentified transparent. political and diplomatic sources Magufuli, from northwest saying that an African leader, Tanzania, was first elected which it did not name, was president in 2015 and has being treated for COVID-19 on faced accusations from Western a ventilator at Nairobi Hospital. countries and opposition parties John Mnyika, general of eroding democracy. Tanzania denies Magufuli secretary of Lissu’s Chadema According to the constitution, party, said Tanzanians had 61-year-old Vice President a right to know more. “We Samia Suluhu Hassan would take sick with COVID-19 urge the government to come over for the rest of the five-year The government of Tanzania in a speech after Friday prayers Hospital in neighbouring Kenya out publicly and say where is term should the president be has denied reports that President in the southern Njobe region. and then to India in a coma. the president and what is his unable to carry out his duties. John Magufuli had been flown to “To spread rumours that he is Magufuli was busy at work condition?” he told reporters Born in Zanzibar, Suluhu Kenya and then India in critical sick is just an outcome of hate.” indoors reviewing files, in Dar es Salaam before the has studied economics in condition with COVID-19. Magufuli, 61, is Africa’s most Majaliwa said, adding that he prime minister’s comments. England and worked for the Prime Minister Kassim prominent coronavirus sceptic. spoke to him by phone on Friday Nicknamed “The Bulldozer, United Nations’ World Food Majaliwa has denied the reports He has not been seen in public morning. Magufuli has frustrated the Programme as well as holding saying Magufuli is in good health since February 27. “I have decided to say this to World Health Organization various government posts prior and working normally, blaming Tanzanian opposition leader give hope to Tanzanians that our (WHO) during the pandemic to becoming Tanzania’s first the narrative on “hateful” Tundu Lissu, who left for president is around,” he said. by playing down the threat female vice-president in 2015 Tanzanians living abroad. Belgium after disputing his “If he were sick, would I talk from COVID-19, saying God under newly elected Magufuli. “Tanzanians should be at election defeat to Magufuli last to him on the phone? He sent and remedies such as steam peace. Your president is around, year, has said the president was his greetings to you.” inhalation would protect (Reuters.) healthy, working hard,” he said flown to the private Nairobi The prime minister’s remarks, Tanzanians. www.mascom.bw Grow your business with the Mogwebi package Get yours from selected Mascom shops for P50 and enjoy • Mascom prepaid SIM card • Pre-loaded P5 airtime, P5 freebie • Free MyZaka Visa card • Free 30 days MyApp WhatsApp subscription • Free 30 days MyApp WhatsApp subscription when you recharge with P100 or more per month (valid for first 6 months) Offer available from 1st October 2020 to 31st March 2021 Terms and conditions apply. E&OE. 4 Road to Zambia Elections Echo Newspaper 15 Mar - 21 Mar 2021 Road to Zambia Elections Credible elections key in boosting Zambia’s IMF bailout package chances - Economist An Economist in Zambia Oliver investment pattern and a lack chances of clinching a deal with Saasa, has said injustices in of institutional systems and the international monetary fund Zambia’s governance system structures of accountability IMF. and the electoral process have towards resources. Professor Saasa has since advised the potential to dent Zambia’s He has also argued that an political players to conduct chances of clinching a deal with election year usually sees violent free and clean campaigns the international monetary fund government failing to implement to ensure the country gets the IMF.