In both cities we have started medical activities in two adapted centers for severe COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 is demonstrating how policy decisions of social exclusion, reduced access to free healthcare and increased inequality will now be felt by all of us. As of July 21, the COVID-19 treatment center had admitted 34 patients (30 confirmed and 4 suspected). Emergency teams in more than 70 countries reacted quickly to prepare for and respond to COVID-19 while keeping other vital health services running during this pandemic. The team also monitors the symptoms of COVID-19 patients or people who test positive, but are asymptomatic. New activities with a focus on COVID-19 are currently underway in Timbuktu. As with other coronaviruses, droplet infection seems to be the main mode of transmission. More specifically, we are working to infection-proof four main hospitals in Kadamjay Rayon, not only through advice and training in line with robust infection prevention guidelines, but also by providing disinfectants and PPE for health staff. People can catch COVID-19 by touching objects or surfaces contaminated with the virus, and then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. Global first responders: 5 things to know about Doctors Without Borders’ Covid-19 strategy Paid for by Mon 14 Dec 2020 09.30 EST Last modified on Mon 14 Dec 2020 12.11 EST However, it is possible to have your gift directed toward Doctors Without Borders COVID-19 Crisis Fund. Of those, more than 3,200 have died, according to state data, as of August 27. At Al-Kuwait we offer a full package of hands-on support to the MoH, including treating the most severely ill patients in the 15-bed intensive care unit and in the large inpatient department. In Homa Bay county MSF has provided three months of antiretroviral treatments to patients to limit travel and exposure at hospitals. MSF is part of the case management and surveillance pillars at the national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) and district level EOCs in Kenema, Tonkolili, and Bombali districts. We also are dealing with the consequences of global shortages of medical supplies, in particular personal protective equipment for health care staff. MSF will be collaborating closely with community health workers who are working in Thompson Bay and are known to the community. As the number of people held in official detention centers has risen to more than 2,300 in the last two months with more people transferred there upon disembarkation by the Libyan coast guards, we are reinforcing IPC and prevention measures in these facilities as much as possible given the dire conditions. Our activities are evolving on a daily basis, and teams are working on epidemic preparedness in practically all our medical projects. On any given day, our staff treats tens of thousands of patients for a variety of illnesses in our medical programs around the world. Spend at least 20 seconds washing your hands. Over 400 patients have been admitted to this unit so far, including 44 to the intensive care unit. The virus enters the human body through the mouth or nose. This means that at-risk people living with HIV, TB, and noncommunicable diseases like diabetes will make fewer non-essential visits to health care facilities. This hospital was designated by the MoH as the referral facility for COVID-19 treatment. We continue strengthening prevention and control measures in Moïssala district, in southern Chad, where we run a woman and child health care program. By the end of July all COVID-19 related activities will be handed over to the MoH. Our harm reduction services in Maputo have been adapted to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for our patients, notably by providing methadone in take-home doses. Training is ongoing in our hospital in Nduta refugee camp. There were more than 88 million cases of the coronavirus around the world—with more cases in the United States (21.6 million) than in any other country. MSF is now operating its mental health project remotely, talking to patients on the phone and providing two-month drug supplies when necessary. The WHO recommends staying more than three feet away from a person who is sick. It’s important to protect yourself and protect others too. In Mariinka Rayon, Donetsk region, an MSF mobile team provides screening and home-based care for people suspected of having COVID-19 and those with mild symptoms in order to prevent health facilities from being overwhelmed. In most countries where MSF works, we are coordinating with the WHO and the respective Ministries of Health to see how MSF could help in case of a high load of COVID-19 patients. MSF is prioritizing continuity of quality care for essential services for children and adults with TB, in collaboration with the MoH and Social Protection of the Population (MoHSPP) via existing MSF programs focused on diagnosis, treatment, and contact tracing. We also provide psychological support. And your donation is 100 percent tax-deductible. Some construction activities in our various projects have also been put on-hold. Four types are known to cause colds, and two other types can cause severe lung infections: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). To ensure continuity of care for people who use drugs we set up a triage system and an isolation room at Karuri hospital in Kiambu County. MSF remains on standby, ready to support health authorities if a rise in COVID-19 cases occurs. In Mafraq we are preparing for the resumption of face-to-face consultations in our mental health project but will continue remote consultations for patients who are not able or willing to come. MSF continues to provide pediatric care in Anka general hospital (with new criteria to reduce services to essential cases only) and is providing technical support in the hospital to establish isolation zones, IPC protocols, and adapted triage and patient flow systems. We have strengthened IPC measures in these facilities and equipped MSF staff with the needed protective equipment. MSF is maintaining key TB and HIV programs while engaging in interagency cooperation for COVID-19 response. Health Promotion on infection prevention is also given to all patients and caretakers at the facilities in Arabic, Oromo, and Amharic. In the West Bank, MSF teams adapted activities to continue providing psychological support by phone. Approximately 500 patients have been admitted in the facility since the beginning of the pandemic. We also provided extra drugs to HIV and NCD patients. We adapted our activities to help contain the spread of the virus. At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in Jordan we suspended admissions to our reconstructive surgery hospital and minimized activities. I got off the minibus and collected my personal protective equipment (known as PPE). Donate now to help us respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies around the world. We have visited around one-third of the facilities designated to treat COVID-19 patients in Zhytomyr and have launched telephone hotlines to provide psychological support for both health workers and COVID-19 patients. These activities are being handed over to local authorities and MSF will end its intervention at the end of September. In Maputo we support the main COVID-19 referral hospital Polana Caniço. In the northern border project, in Matamoros and Reynosa, MSF increased and adapted activities at a shelter and a camp for asylum seekers. In Rann, MSF continues to provide community-based health promotion services and will start round-trip visits for medical consultations. Northwestern Syria: The first COVID-19 case in an area outside of government control was reported on July 9, and, as of July 19, 18 cases have been confirmed in these areas and 30 more in Aleppo. In Hajjah governorate we are helping with preventive measures in hospitals, including the set-up of screening points for patients and support to set up an isolation unit in Abs hospital, as well as training of staff on symptoms and case definition, case management, and IPC. In the projects in Titao, Djibo, Kaya, and Barsalogho—not yet affected by COVID-19—we are following up on the epidemiological situation as concerns remain high with the number of displaced people in the northern, central, and eastern parts of the country. Beyond Tripoli, we continue to work in four detention centers (in Khoms, Zliten, Zintan, and Zuwara) to provide first aid to people disembarked in Libya and primary health care and referrals to migrants and refugees in Bani Walid. Brazil is not letting Doctors Without Borders help Indigenous tribes against COVID-19 . By January 8, COVID-19 had killed more than one million people. During the outbreak we provided trainings and other support to the Jordan Medical Association, a union of doctors, to assist them with their response to the pandemic. In Patna, Bihar, MSF works in a facility set up in a converted sports hall to care for mild to moderate COVID-19 patients, to support the Nalanda Medical College Hospital. Throw used tissues into a wastebasket immediately and wash your hands. MSF has added isolation wards to all of our medical facilities in Cox’s Bazar and is preparing two dedicated COVID-19 treatment centers. Teams are conducting water and sanitation and disinfection activities in eight public toilets at hotspots in the M-East ward, one of the city’s poorest areas. In Samos and Lesbos, we adapted our facilities and procedures to ensure the safety of patients and our staff. In the other MSF-supported or co-managed hospitals and health centers we have reviewed triage systems and patient flows to ensure fast detection of suspected COVID-19 cases and isolation from the rest of the patients. Unrestricted support from our donors allows us to mobilize quickly and efficiently to provide lifesaving medical care to the people who need it most, whether those needs are in the spotlight or not. Our teams in Idlib National Hospital’s COVID treatment center were reinforced after the first confirmed cases. This new coronavirus seems to target cells in the lungs, and possibly other cells in the respiratory system too. By giving to our COVID-19 Crisis Fund, you can help. Project coordinator Chiara shares her experience working alongside Italian doctors and nurses on the frontline of the pandemic in northern Italy. In Matamoros and Reynosa a psychological care phone line has launched for people who are victims of violence or who are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Message and … As of July 27 the field hospital had treated 213 COVID-19 patients and there have been 30 deaths. The number of cases is increasing in the country (2,430 as of July 15, with 39 deaths). Many patients picked up by MSF ambulances in Mathare have tested positive for COVID-19, even those who did not initially meet the case definition for the disease. The construction of the Zaatari COVID-19 treatment center has been completed, and MSF is on standby until there is a confirmed COVID-19 case in the camp. Our team completed the first assessment of the Republican Center TB dispensary. CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The humanitarian aid group Doctors Without Borders is pulling out of a hospital in a Venezuelan slum that had been one of the nation’s best-equipped to treat COVID-19 patients, saying government restrictions made work impossible. MSF teams across Sudan are conducting health promotion and awareness sessions with patients and the local community or at non-MSF primary health care centers. A small team from the international humanitarian medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders has been in Immokalee for the past few weeks assisting with the local response to COVID-19.. Doctors Without Borders normally operates in about 60 countries around the world, often ones that are famine-stricken or war torn. Activities are currently on hold, but we remain willing and able to respond if asked. It is the only maternal clinic in the city, so all patients are referred there for deliveries and prenatal care consultations. In light of the continuing reduction in the number of admissions to the two MSF COVID-19 treatment centers in Aden, we have decided to combine activities in Al Gamhuriah hospital. We also trained community health workers and reinforced COVID-19 screening at the entrance of the Mora district hospital. MSF has carried out COVID-19 screening of DRTB and HIV patients in its private independent clinic and in an outpatient department co-managed with India’s national TB program. In Juba, MSF teams are carrying out community assessments and community engagement, as well as installation of handwashing points in several locations. We are progressively reducing our support. MSF continues to monitor the flow of Mexicans repatriated by US authorities and deported non-Mexican migrants. The team is also distributing hygiene kits to remote villages and food parcels to families in need. MSF is also doing health promotion in camps for migrants and asylum seekers and increasing the provision of water and sanitation services. A new coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019. The COVID-19 global health crisis continues to hold the world firmly in its grip. MSF's emergency center in the Martissant neighborhood has also screened 58 people for COVID-19 since the epidemic was declared in March, referring patients to Drouillard when needed. Avoid crowded places and large gatherings, and generally keep some physical distance between you and other people. As COVID-19 has spread, MSF teams are racing to respond to the pandemic in the more than 70 countries in which we run programmes, while opening projects in new countries as they become pandemic hotspots. A hotline and WhatsApp number has been set up so that MSF psychologists can provide psychological care remotely to migrants and refugees as well as to people isolated by violence in Guerrero and migrants and refugees across the country. Over 250 MSF staff have been trained on COVID-19 response, with a focus on case definition, triage, screening, IPC, safe transportation of suspected cases, isolation, use of PPE, and case management. Given the sharp increase of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks (1,611 as of July 19), MSF stepped up its support to the MoH and Child Care. We also organized 21 training sessions for 453 health staff and 104 community health workers in collaboration with the MoH. A malaria contingency plan is in place to ensure continuity of malaria treatment during the upcoming season and minimize the impact on the hospital. 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