Covid19 in Guinea: a 2nd wave? Plethora in the CTEPIs? Dr Dimai Ouo Ouo tells us everything…

As of April 9, 2021, Guinea officially has 20,807 confirmed cases of covid-19, for 133 deaths. But the number of patients flocking to treatment centers has recently increased sharply. This situation is all the more worrying especially when we know that the country has been facing another epidemic since February 14, 2021, that of Ebola. Large influx of patients who are no longer able to find space in CTEPIs, home confinement strategy... Dr Dimai Ouo Ouo Kpamy, head of unit responsible for monitoring and evaluating care at the National Health Security Agency, responds to Universciences.

Closed doors in the CTEPIs: there is a reception capacity problem. Of the 33 in the country, it is the same observation: saturated, overwhelmed, full. Despite the fact that the ANSS recently opened another center in Sonfonia – commune of Ratoma – which has a capacity of 200 beds; the equation is far from being resolved. As a start to a solution, the monitoring and evaluation department of care at the National Health Security Agency is working on the strategy of home confinement of people sick with covid-19 with all the related health security requirements.

“With this home confinement strategy, it will allow us to avoid certain plethora at the CTEPI level. Within the community, it is about cutting the chain of transmission and this can only work with vaccination and respect for barrier gestures." says Dr Dimai Ouo Ouo Kpamy.

Guinea is facing an outbreak of covid-19 cases. This explains an overflow in epidemiological treatment centers. To date, the country has more than a thousand cases in these structures.

“There are enough people who are confirmed every day, this means that we are in the 2nd wave. And quickly, the ANSS adopted its response strategy; given that in Conakry, there were only 5 functional CTEPIs, we were obliged to open the Sonfonia CTEPI with a capacity of 200 beds. We are in the process of forging links with the municipalities with the aim of developing community support, when the confinement criteria are suitable; since we made a technical sheet to be able to look at who can be confined or not at home,” says Dr Kpamy, head of unit responsible for monitoring and evaluating care at the National Health Security Agency.

The consequences of relaxing barrier measures are present

Failure to comply with barrier measures by the majority of citizens can lead to the spread of the virus among populations. This is why Doctor Dimai recalls a recent fact in the management of CTEPI, and the consequences of this uncivil behavior are present,“at one point, until November 2020, the rules were strict, and we had seen a drop in the rate of covid-19 cases and also this drop had pushed the State to ease its health barrier measures. After this relief, people remained in that and ultimately, they did not comply. This took us to a second wave. »

Patients forced to stay at home

Due to a lack of space in epidemiological treatment centers, covid-19 patients are forced to isolate at home, on the recommendation of the National Health Security Agency. One more reason to fear the worst happening when the sick don't know what to do.

Comments collected by Mamadou Kindy Bah

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