covid-19

Oestafnews (in collaboration with Daily Guide – Ghana) – The closure of borders, social distancing, wearing of nose masks and lockdowns characterised the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic which started in late 2019, spreading to other parts of the world within a matter of weeks. The pandemic brought devastating impact to human and social […]

Sierra Leone recorded its first positive COVID19 case in March 2020.  A year later the country received its first batch of 96,000 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine shipped via the COVAX Facility, a partnership between the Government Sierra Leone, CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO. Finally having access to the vaccines was great, but their

In any major public health emergency, Healthcare Workers (HCWs) are on the frontlines, interacting directly with the public and serving as trusted sources of information. Sierra Leone is a country that has recent experience with major public health challenges. It was an epicentre of the Ebola epidemic in 2014-2016. However, when faced with the COVID-19

In Sierra Leon’s Pujehun District, connections between the community and health facilities are often difficult because of the very poor condition of the roads. Furthermore, the district is divided by a major river and has a riverine area reachable only by with boats, which further hinders access. In March 2020, when the first case of

When Liberia recorded its first case of COVID-19, the country’s health services were ready to confront this new health threat, having learned some very hard lessons from its experience with Ebola.  The Ebola crisis of 2014-2016 was devastating in Liberia, bringing its fragile, underfunded, under-staffed, and by all measures, sub-par healthcare system to its knees.