COVID-19 in Africa: care and protection for frontline healthcare workers

• Published in: Globalization and health Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 46 - 6
• Main Authors: Chersich, Matthew F., Gray, Glenda, Fairlie, Lee, Eichbaum, Quentin, Mayhew, Susannah, Allwood, Brian, English, Rene, Scorgie, Fiona, Luchters, Stanley, Simpson, Greg, Haghighi, Marjan Mosalman, Pham, Minh Duc, Rees, Helen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 15.05.2020; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Africa; Betacoronavirus; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Community health care; Coronavirus Infections - diagnosis; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; Coronavirus Infections - transmission; Coronaviruses; Cost control; Cough; COVID-19; COVID-19 Testing; Critical care; Disease control; Disease Outbreaks - prevention & control; Disease transmission; Ebola virus; Employee motivation; Epidemics; Exhaustion; Health aspects; Health care; Health Personnel - psychology; Health risks; Healthcare workers; HIV; Hospitals; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human resources; Human resources for health; Humans; Infection Control; Infection control, mental health; Infections; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional - prevention & control; Medical personnel; Medical supplies; Mental Health; Morale; Motivation; Occupational Exposure - prevention & control; Pandemics; Pandemics - prevention & control; Patients; Personal protective equipment; Personal Protective Equipment - supply & distribution; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Pneumonia, Viral - transmission; Protective equipment; Psychological stress; Public health; Review; Risk management; Safety equipment; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Stress (Psychology); Telemedicine; United Kingdom; Ventilators; Viral diseases; Water supply; Workers; United Kingdom; China; Africa; COVID-19; Human resources for health; SARS-Cov-2; Healthcare workers; Infection control, mental health; Africa

Medical staff caring for COVID-19 patients face mental stress, physical exhaustion, separation from families, stigma, and the pain of losing patients and colleagues. Many of them have acquired SARS-CoV-2 and some have died. In Africa, where the pandemic is escalating, there are major gaps in respons...