Covid-19 Patient care and Training
Since the first cases of COVID-19 appeared in Burkina Faso, EFFO trainers have been involved in patient care and training activities of regional teams. Operndorf Afrika also continues to be supported by telephone counselling.
People wearing clinical gloves during a personal protective equipment training course (© RKI).
On March 9, 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Burkina Faso; since then, EFFO trainers have been actively supporting the treatment teams at the Tengandogo University Hospital in Ouagadougou, where a COVID-19 isolation ward was set up. As of May 2020, Burkina Faso registered more than 800 SARS-CoV-2 infections and 50 deaths, most of them in the capital Ouagadougou. The Burkinabe EFFO trainers drew on their experiences from numerous workshops, training courses for health personnel and simulation exercises. They were able to apply their sound understanding of high-consequence infectious diseases (e.g. Ebola virus disease, Lassa Fever, Plague) and their practical experiences in handling Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). EFFO coverall reserve stocks from the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic were made available to the COVID-19 isolation ward.
The Operndorf Afrika team is also putting its experience with the EFFO project into practice. Procedures of the health post, were adapted in such a way that distance and hygiene rules could be respected. Posters were printed to educate the population. The team regularly exchanged information about current developments and specific questions, with the EFFO project partner Medmissio Institute for Global Health, by video conferencing.
Date: 01.06.2020
