CDC Calls for Preparedness

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Tuesday 28th July 2020, warned African countries to brace for possible "acute shortage" of COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the near future.

The Africa CDC made the urgent call for preparedness to avert a possible "acute shortage" of COVID-19 personal protective equipment in its detailed publication issued this week under the theme “strategies for managing acute shortages of personal protective equipment during COVID-19 pandemic”. Due to disruptions in the global supply chain, some African countries may face the risk of an acute shortage of personal protective equipment, the Africa CDC warned.

The Africa CDC, which noted that some 41 countries are practicing mandatory public use of face masks, stressed that preventing a crisis such as acute shortage of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers "should be prioritized by health authorities in Africa as part of the COVID-19 response”. It also stressed that the COVID-19 response team "should include actions to prevent PPE shortages in their planning, as adequate planning may minimize the negative consequences of an acute shortage “Planning to prevent critical shortages should be done in advance, with clear triggers for implementation and resumption of standard practice," the continental disease control and prevention agency added.  The Africa CDC also provided considerations and a series of options that can be used to inform country strategies in managing any shortages of personal protective equipment.

As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases across the African continent surpassed 859,237 as the death toll from the pandemic rose to 18,160, according to the latest figures from the Africa CDC.