The Covid-19 Action Fund for Africa (CAF-Africa) has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to health ministries in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Mali.

It was gathered that CAF-Africa donated over five million PPE to Mali. The shipment contained 5,472,000 masks, and 22,529 face shields-PPE required to safeguard health workers providing services at the last-mile.

Sierra Leone received two million PPE, including three million masks, and 41,300 face shields; Ivory Coast got one million PPE, including 1,120,000 masks, and 22,306 face shields; while Liberia received 3,100 face shields.

Due to lack of PPE, there has been a 203 percent increase in Covid-19 infections amongst health care workers in Africa, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Community health workers provide essential health services such as integrated community case management as well as Covid-19 specific activities.

Without adequate PPE, they can neither fight the pandemic nor ensure communities have access to routine health care services.

The PPE donations, according to CAF-Africa, will protect 200,000 CHWs safeguarding community health services during the pandemic.

CAF-Africa says its goal is to raise $100 million to supply PPE to community health workers in over 20 African countries for approximately one year.

Source: Front Page Africa

Photo source: Front Page Africa