Frontline health workers from Sub-Saharan Africa share the reality of the current COVID surge
After more than a year of intensive service on the frontlines of the pandemic, HEAL Initiative fellows from rural Liberia, Malawi, Uganda and Rwanda are facing a 3rd, deadly surge of the COVID-19 delta variant in their regions.
In this update, they share valuable perspectives and insights on how this wave of COVID infections and coordinated response efforts have been remarkably different at both a personal and systemic level.
In Rwanda, COVID-19 infections have been decreasing since the peak 3 weeks ago, yet Dr. Wellars Dusingizimana, HEAL Alumni at Inshuti Mu Buzima/Partners in Health, and colleagues are still facing nearly 600 new infections per day.
“It has been so long with this pandemic which started in Rwanda sporadically in early 2020. Surges happening then were not causing much panic. Now, the current surges of the Delta variant are killing more people, of all ages, and damaging the lungs so early. Rwandan response efforts have been intensified, with a marathon to vaccinate, reinforce district hospitals, educate the population and enforce regional lockdowns where COVID is surging.”
In Malawi, infections are also slowing after a surge in July. Dr. George Talama, HEAL Alumni working at Abwenzi Pa Za Umuyo/Partners in Health, shares how health worker preparedness and political will are changing how health systems are functioning there.
“Hospitals in Malawi were unprepared in the first wave. Now there have been big changes and much improvement. Staff is trained, they know what to do when there is a patient with COVID, there are screenings and health facilities that are more resourced by government and donors, and services are being offered routinely. We are normalizing the situation.
The pandemic has helped us as a country to wake up in terms of being prepared, putting resources into our health facilities. There is a tendency for poor countries’ politicians to access better health services outside the country, but COVID restricted movement, so politicians had no options but to get services within the country. Now, politicians have an interest in ensuring health facilities have necessary resources and equipment.”
Though funding to health facilities has begun shifting in Malawi, Dr. Talama points out that “there are still a lot of inequities to vaccine distribution. The government has only procured a few vaccines compared to wealthier countries.”
Despite remarkable interest from the population, vaccine supply in Liberia has resulted in one of the lowest vaccine coverages in the world. At present, less than 1% of the Liberian population is fully vaccinated with around100K doses of vaccine administered so far.
Savior Mendin, MPH, a Liberian Nurse, public health specialist, and HEAL Alumni working at HEAL’s partner site Last Mile Health, shares the urgency of vaccine rollout in Liberia:
“Personally, I feel a lot more confident to continue to serve as a health worker because I am fully vaccinated. Hopefully many of my colleagues feel the same. I am hopeful that we will continue to look beyond vaccine hesitancy and prioritize vaccine availability in settings like Liberia.
While vaccine hesitancy cannot be overlooked, I have also seen a high demand for the Covid19 vaccine in Liberia and hope the high resource nations can continue to support lower resource settings to ensure that no one is left behind in terms of being fully vaccinated.”
In Uganda, Dr. Emmanuel Bua, a current HEAL Fellow at Busitema University/Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, believes that at a systemic level, “a lot still needs to be done in terms of priority setting to avoid unnecessary overlaps and clashes in the pandemic response.” At a personal level, he shares how this moment is transforming him as a leader and deepening his purpose.
“I am learning to be innovative. I am beginning to ask myself how best my work can fit in all these scenarios. How I can be of value and influence even as we face uncertainty. I am reminded everyday that part of my duty as a doctor is to advocate for my patients in moments like these.”
Health workers across the globe are facing uncertainty, burnout and working tirelessly in deeply difficult contexts to save the lives of their patients. At times their patients are our friends and families who we want to receive the best medical care, from health professionals who are healthy and protected. Yet, even now, not all global health workers have access to vaccines.
This week the Biden Administration prepares to offer booster shots for all vaccinated Americans. This will greatly worsen the deep vaccine inequity we are seeing across the world. Rich countries have taken 80% of the vaccine supply and are positioned to receive a third dose when our colleagues and patients around the world remain extremely vulnerable.
At HEAL, we stand by the World Health Organization’s stance that we must vaccinate 10% of all countries by September 30th before even considering boosters. 10% is a very conservative and low number. Delaying vaccination of the world is causing evolutionary pressure on the virus and increasing the odds of future variants.
This twitter thread by public health expert Andy Slavitt makes the case why this is both bad science, and unethical.
Today, we are asked to make a choice: Will we accept the moral responsibility to protect the people who are risking their lives to protect us? Will we fight to make choices that support the health of everyone, not just a select few?
These are some of the questions HEAL Initiative continues to hold as we work to equip health care providers with the skills and community to create lasting changes rooted in health equity and justice.
Here are 3 ways that you can join us in solidarity with frontline health providers across the globe:
- Defer your booster dose if you are in the United States and are not immunocompromised or at high risk for bad outcomes. Contemplate before you revaccinate and recognize that you have a powerful choice to stand in solidarity with health workers across the globe. Share
- Tweet Politicians to pressure your government to urgently move to increase MRNA vaccination production by sharing the science and tech of the COVID-19 Vaccines. The People’s Vaccine have organized strong pathways to demand a #PeoplesVaccine. When more health workers and their patients have access to vaccines, more lives will be spared.
- Amplify the Voices of Health Workers. Share the real stories of the global health workers who are serving in difficult contexts, especially those in the global south who are most impacted by global health inequities and least represented in media outlets. Subscribe to Voices From the Frontline and HEAL Initiative’s Newsletter to get more updates from over 160 health workers serving on the frontline of the pandemic in resource denied settings. Their lives, stories and struggles matter and must be heard.
Want to learn more from these HEAL Fellows?
Contact Sami Schilf, HEAL Communications Officer (samantha.schilf@ucsf.edu) to request access to full updates from HEAL Fellows and Alumni Drs. Emmanual Bua, Wellars Dusingizimana, Savior Mendin, and George Talama.
