Let’ s give a thought to healthcare workers

There has not been a time in history when the entire world was riveted on a single subject like coronavirus today. Because of the incubation period of 14 days, the invisible nature of the virus and the way it is spread by proximity to infected persons and touching infected surfaces, it is highly contagious and no one knows where it will strike next. World wars have had higher casualties but their effect has been limited largely to the theatre of war while the Spanish Flu was limited to certain geographic locations as with SARS and MERS.

As at the time of writing this piece on Wednesday (April 1, 2020) there are a total of 859,032 confirmed coronavirus infections and 42,322 deaths worldwide. Figures for Kenya stand at 59 confirmed cases and 1 dead.

The statistics show that 80 percent of people randomly infected will experience mild to no symptoms and most will not even know that they have the coronavirus. This group do not require hospitalisation and can be quarantined at home. About 13-15 percent will experience moderate to severe disease and will need to be hospitalised while five percent will develop critical illness requiring isolation in Intensive Care Unit(ICU) and respirator support. The absolute mortality rate currently stands at 0.66 percent according to latest data by Lancet.

This week my attention has been drawn to the fate of a Kenyan clinical officer who became the first health worker to test positive for coronavirus in the line of duty. Unfortunately, her husband has also tested positive and they have both been isolated at the Kenyatta National Hospital IDU at Mbagathi while her children and househelp have been evacuated for testing.

Worldwide, doctors and healthcare givers are working under severe pressure taking care of patients infected with the coronavirus, with many putting in as much 110 hours a week due to a shortage of medical personnel following the sudden surge in admissions. There is a general shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) as suppliers struggle to keep up with demand. Medical personnel are not only at risk of infection themselves but are also putting their families at risk.

The situation in Kenya and in Africa in general is more desperate in the face of constrained resources and ill-equipped facilities. Frontline health workers bear the brunt of infections especially if they are not equipped with protective gear such as gloves, face masks and body suits. This group of workers also happens to be the least trained in collecting and handling samples for testing, making them even more vulnerable. Let us appreciate them for the work they are doing at great risk to themselves and their families to make sure that we win this battle.

By doing our part at a personal level, we can help mitigate the number of infected persons who end up needing hospitalisation and thus reduce the workload on the healthcare workers and the risk of infection. We are all part of the team that is fighting this pandemic and each individual effort counts in addition to what measures the government and other agencies are taking.

I am also aware of the many individuals in government, NGOs, the private sector and other multisector agencies who are burning the midnight oil putting in place policies, strategies and initiatives to address the coronavirus pandemic. Let us not belittle their contribution.

While I am sure that any suggestions and ideas that will help us fight this scourge are welcome, let us “Speak our truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story”.

We should refrain from rubbishing other peoples’ ideas, hurling insults and denigrating what others have done for the purpose of massaging our egos. This pandemic is bigger than any of us and we need to exercise humility and restraint. No one has a monopoly of ideas. This is not the time for those armchair experts and key board warriors.

Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya have a lot experience in dealing with outbreak of epidemics especially HIV/AIDS and Ebola which can be put to good use in dealing with the current pandemic. Kenya is particularly good at the multisectoral approach to universal healthcare.

As the government continues to secure additional ICU beds and ventilators, medial staff, PPE, testing kits, isolation units and community sensitisation, We should take personal responsibility towards shaping the outcome of the current pandemic.

I am particularly impressed with the conduct of our Covid-19 patient number 001 who came out in public today and told the story of how she took the responsibility to present herself to the health authorities once she suspected that she may contracted the virus. Congratulations for being a good citizen and role model!