ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to overwhelm health systems across the globe. We aimed to assess the readiness of hospitals in Nigeria to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. METHOD: Between April and October 2020, hospital representatives completed a modified World Health Organisation (WHO) COVID-19 hospital readiness checklist consisting of 13 components and 124 indicators. Readiness scores were classified as adequate (score ≥80%), moderate (score 50-79.9%) and not ready (score <50%). RESULTS: Among 20 (17 tertiary and three secondary) hospitals from all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, readiness score ranged from 28.2% to 88.7% (median 68.4%), and only three (15%) hospitals had adequate readiness. There was a median of 15 isolation beds, four ICU beds and four ventilators per hospital, but over 45% of hospitals established isolation facilities and procured ventilators after the onset of COVID-19. Of the 13 readiness components, the lowest readiness scores were reported for surge capacity (61.1%), human resources (59.1%), staff welfare (50%) and availability of critical items (47.7%). CONCLUSION: Most hospitals in Nigeria were not adequately prepared to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Current efforts to strengthen hospital preparedness should prioritize challenges related to surge capacity, critical care for COVID-19 patients, and staff welfare and protection.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Hospitals/statistics & numerical data , Pandemics , Surveys and Questionnaires , Hospitals/supply & distribution , Humans , Nigeria/epidemiology , Surge CapacityABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 is a novel disease currently ravaging the world as a pandemic. More emphasis has been focused on the acute disease, with less attention on the detection and management of long-term sequelae which develop in some patients, variously termed "Long COVID," Post-coronavirus disease 2019 syndrome, or ongoing coronavirus disease. There are also various reports in the literature on the duration of viral shedding, with the longest known recorded being about 70 days, and whether this duration has an effect on prognosis or patients remaining infectious is still unknown. We report the case of a 22-year-old health care worker with prolonged multi-systemic features of coronavirus disease 2019 including cardiovascular, respiratory, central nervous system, and musculoskeletal symptoms lasting about 18 weeks from symptom onset, though never hospitalized, and persistent detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 attributed to viral shedding for over 110 days, which is the longest duration recorded to our knowledge.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness currently ravaging the world in pandemic proportions. Its route of spread and a high degree of infectivity make it easily transmissible within health care settings. Health workers, who are at particular risk of workplace-related infection, should be familiar with and abide by international best practices for infection prevention and control at work to protect themselves and their patients. This is particularly important so that they can continue to provide muchneeded care. We present a review of international best practices and guidelines to prevent COVID-19 infection in the clinical space in the Nigerian context. Our focus is on strategies for administrative control, patient management, and environmental cleaning and waste management