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TESHOME MENGISTEAB
It has been a year since Ethiopia confirmed the first case of COVID-19. It was last year, March 13, 2020, that the country notified the case. Indeed, since the pandemic has become a global threat, the Ethiopian Government, together with stakeholders, regional and international organizations, has made a great effort to contain the spread of the pandemic and minimize its serious social, health and social consequences. economic.
By taking different preventative measures, such as limiting public gatherings, closing schools and having officials work from home, as well as closing borders and suspending flights, he has made substantial efforts that are vital to curbing the spread of the virus.
Consequently, the harsh consequences of the pandemic were allowed to be minimized. However, as healthcare professionals have warned, the pandemic can still cause further loss of life if people don’t take much better care of themselves and steer clear of trends.
Consequently, the harsh consequences of the pandemic were allowed to be minimized. However, as health professionals have warned, the pandemic continues to cause greater loss of life and if people do not take good care of themselves; and distancing oneself from trends that would exacerbate the spread of the virus, the behavior can be overwhelming.
As for Dagne Bekele, a pediatric nurse at Tirunesh Beijing General Hospital (TBGH), the number of registered cases per day is growing across the country because neglect is growing and the protocols established by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and WHO they are raped by the communities. .
In addition, he noted: “We are witnessing people without masks and society and business meetings are conducted against established standards to combat the spread of the disease.”
Mention the recommended standards established by WHO and the Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as frequent hand cleaning with alcohol-based hand sanitizer or soap and water; cover your nose and mouth with a bent elbow or tissue when coughing and sneezing; and avoiding close contact with anyone with a fever and cough, he said that although the rules were well enforced in the past months, currently the behavior change is not going as it should.
Community commitment to implement the protocols is decreasing day by day. “In my opinion, we should work hard to strengthen awareness-raising efforts, along with law enforcement agencies and other entities, full participation to track down and correct those who violate the rules.”
The pandemic is putting the lives of thousands at risk due to the negligence of people at work, reaction and markets, in addition to transportation, among others. The various initiatives such as “Without a mask there is no service” are not translated accordingly, he remarked.
The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to create well-informed communities that implement COVID-19 protocols accordingly, and are responsible and considerate of others.
“As I have observed, several people say that once vaccination is started, the spread will decrease immediately, which is not supported by scientific facts. This type of perception, since it is not proven, could have undesirable consequences. It is time to think over and over again before things get worse. “
Ethiopia has officially launched COVID-19 vaccination across the country in the presence of Health Minister Dr. Liya Taddesse, regional and federal government officials and representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Ethiopia, among others.
That’s a big step and it should get even stronger. However, it should be noted that in the first shipment, the country received only 2.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the COVAX facility and that is too small compared to the number of people. Therefore, communities must be aware that the initiation cannot guarantee the containment of the spread of the virus, he stressed.
According to a recent report by the Ethiopian Institute of Public Health, the number of cases is increasing alarmingly across the country and daily reports published by the Ministry also confirm this.
Regarding the start of the vaccination program, Education Minister Getahun Mekuria said Ethiopia has seen an increase in recent days.
Speaking to Anadolu, the minister said: “Negligence is costing the nation dearly.”
Therefore, people must adhere to the COVID-19 protocol to contain the spread of the virus.
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Dr Dereje Duguma, Minister of State for Health, for his part, said Ethiopia has been working persistently to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
“A year ago, our COVID-19 capacity was nil,” he said, referring to the fact that Ethiopia had no testing facilities and had to send samples to South Africa. Today, we have examined more than 2.2 million people using our own laboratories. “
Boureima Hama Sambo, WHO representative in the country, also praised Ethiopia’s efforts to stop the spread of the virus.
“COVID-19 has affected all aspects of our lives. Globally, its impact on the economy and society is something that we will have to deal with in the coming years; and Ethiopia is no exception,” he said.
“As a result of the high level of commitment from the government and the Ministry of Health, Ethiopia has done well to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic.”
The Ethiopiam Herald March 17, 2021
