As the risk of a surge in COVID-19 cases increases, African countries must urgently boost critical care capacity to prevent health facilities from being overwhelmed.
Weak observance of preventive measures, increased population movement and interaction as well as well as the arrival of winter in southern Africa have heightened the risk of COVID-19 resurgence in many countries.
The pandemic is trending upwards in 14 countries and in the past week alone, eight countries witnessed an abrupt rise of over 30% in cases.
South Africa is reporting a sustained increase in cases, while Uganda saw a 131% week-on-week rise last week, with infection clusters in schools, rising cases among health workers and isolation centers and intensive care units filling up.
“While many countries outside Africa have now vaccinated their high-priority groups and are able to even consider vaccinating their children, African countries are unable to even follow up with second doses for high-risk groups. I’m urging countries that have reached a significant vaccination coverage to release doses and keep the most vulnerable Africans out of critical care.”
Altogether, 48.6 million doses have been received and 31.4 million doses have been administered in 50 countries in Africa, where around 2% of the population have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while globally 24% have been vaccinated.
Of the 23 countries responding to the survey, most have fewer than one intensive care unit bed per 100 000 population and will require an increase of between 2500% and 3000% to meet needs during a surge.
Among the countries providing information on ventilators, only a third of their intensive care unit beds are equipped with mechanical ventilators. “Treatment is the last line of defence against this virus and we cannot let it be breached.”
Since the onset of the pandemic, WHO has worked around the clock and in collaboration with countries to ramp up COVID-19 treatment capacity by delivering essential medical supplies as well as health worker training.
To further reinforce COVID-19 critical care services, WHO recommends that every district hospital should have a high-dependency unit, while those at the regional or provincial level have an intensive care unit and higher-level health facilities set up 2—3 intensive care units.
