Freetown, 31 March 2022 – Exactly two years in the past at this time time, the main case of COVID-19 turn out to be reported in Sierra Leone. This index case detected in Freetown turn out to be of a Sierra Leonean nationwide who had travelled aid from in one other country and tested certain whereas in a significant authorities managed quarantine.

Over the previous two years, the country has rolled out a few public health and social measures to restrict the spread of COVID-19 and its socio-financial impact. Implementation of evidence-based fully mostly interventions a lot like public health surveillance, testing, probability communications and public awareness on the disease maintain been significant in controlling community spread of the virus. Vaccination has also been at the centre stage and is being intensified by method of surge campaigns to retract the pandemic below defend watch over.

Since affirmation of the main case, a cumulative whole of seven 674 circumstances maintain been recorded  with 125 COVID-19 associated deaths. Nonetheless, there maintain been obstacles to testing and considerations over the likely emergence of most modern variants of Situation (VoCs) stays.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working in collaboration with other companions to toughen the country to give a enhance to key public health emergency and health security capacities a lot like surveillance and case detection, analysis and genomic sequencing to video display VoCs and interest, coordination and community engagement. All the method by method of the pandemic, the Organization has also provided significant technical steerage, serious gives and commodities for Infection Prevention and Alter and case administration, and logistical toughen to the country to wrestle the virus.

“We’ve been at the forefront of the efforts to curtail this pandemic and we are able to proceed to provide the suitable technical skills to the authorities to successfully model out COVID-19,” acknowledged Dr Steven V. Shongwe, WHO Consultant in Sierra Leone. “At this stage of the pandemic, enhanced surveillance and sturdy laboratory skill at the side of genomics sequencing to detect rising variants and improved vaccination coverage are amongst the serious toughen that WHO will proceed to provide to retract the of us bag”.

Vaccination stays one of the unheard of defences in opposition to this pandemic. WHO is working with accomplice organizations to step up the uptake in the country. To this point 23.3% the purpose inhabitants maintain been fully vaccinated. The coverage is accumulated very low and this manner more efforts are wanted to achieve the broader inhabitants to defend them from the probability of severe sickness and death from COVID-19.

“COVID-19 has tested our resilience to responding to advanced and power public health emergencies. It has taught us the serious significance of preparedness to reply successfully to health emergencies,” acknowledged Dr Robert Musoke, Health Emergency Specialist at WHO Sierra Leone

“Over the previous two years we maintain now learned significant public health classes from this pandemic. We can exercise these classes and adapt them to bolster the public health sector to be more resilient to future emergencies,” acknowledged Dr Shongwe.