Cape Town – A senior researcher from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is among the many dedicated young South African scientists who have rolled up their sleeves to help curb the spread of Covid-19.
Katekani Ngobeni, 34, from Ka’Ndengeza, outside Giyani, Limpopo, has worked in the field of infection prevention and control locally for nearly 10 years. Ngobeni is using her experience to provide scientific advice and training countrywide in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.
She has established herself as an active researcher in the field of TB infection prevention and control over the past few years. Her work has taken her around the world to ensure that health-care workers in resource-limited areas operate in a safer environment.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, Ngobeni has been providing ongoing workshops to various provincial departments of health struggling to cope with the new reality.
Ngobeni presented her work at the first South African Covid-19 Conference in Pretoria in February, attended by more than 250 health-care professionals who obtained a free scholarship from the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA) and co-sponsored by the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD).
“Health-care workers need critical information about respiratory protection. Hospitals across South Africa are running out of N95 masks, which filter at least 95% of particles that are 0.3 microns or larger, including the new coronavirus. In response to continued respirator shortages, many countries, including South Africa, have resorted to the use of KN95 masks.
"However, there are currently no specific guidelines in South Africa on which criteria apply for the use of the product, including evidence demonstrating that the respirator is authentic.
"In addition, there is conflicting guidance about the application of these respiratory masks. In order to continue providing technical assistance and capacity building to health-care workers during this lockdown period, we collaborated with the FPD to provide online training,” said Ngobeni.
Since joining the CSIR, Ngobeni has pursued a Master’s degree through the University of Johannesburg, exploring the use of respiratory protection devices in low-income health-care settings.
Among other achievements, Ngobeni was selected to attend the Building Design and Engineering approaches to Airborne Infection Control training hosted by Harvard University in the US.
“There is an urgent need to address the challenges in the spread of Covid-19 in South Africa. Young people have a huge role to play during this pandemic. We need to educate ourselves and others,” Ngobeni said.