VOINJAMA, Lofa – Health workers at the Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital have ended a one-day infection control training facilitated by the World Health Organization in preparation to combat outbreaks of COVID-19 in Lofa.

Held on April 13, the exercise trained staff assigned at the referral hospital to handle cases of the Coronavirus and provided knowledge on reducing the risk of being infected.

“We believe that in the fight against the deadly Coronavirus, health practitioners in this rural part of Liberia need to have the ideas in what to do primarily and that is knowing about infection control,” the WHO’s regional coordinator, Richard Mulbah, told The Bush Chicken.

He said the training came after hearing rumors that many health workers at the facility planned to abandon the hospital in the case of an outbreak. The health workers had complained that they had limited knowledge about COVID-19 and how to effectively contain the disease.

Because of the training, Mulbah said health workers can now properly quarantine infected patients.

He added, “This fight should carry us back to 2014 when we stood against the Ebola epidemic, which took the lives of thousands in the county. But now, let us think fast and remain on the alert in combating COVID-19.”

The infection control training comes just as local authorities have set up a COVID-19 Response Taskforce, headed by Lofa’s county health officer, Dr. John Doedah. The team has been tasked with creating awareness in villages and towns across the county.

Meanwhile, members of the Lofa County Legislative Caucus, including Sen. Stephen Zargo, Rep. Mariamu Fofana, Rep. Clarence Massaqoui, Sen. George Tengbeh, and civil society organizations like Plan International have been donating handwashing buckets and sanitary items to the county health team and surrounding communities.

Featured photo by Kelvin Kollie