Cape Town – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete Foundation and the Access Challenge have launched a campaign to support efforts by the African Union (AU) and its Covid-19 Fund.
The campaign, called One by One: Target Covid-19, will support efforts by the AU and its Covid-19 Fund by advocating for increased financing for Africa CDC to raise its capacity for securing essential diagnostics and medical supplies needed for Covid-19 response in Africa.
The campaign will also collaborate with media houses, celebrity influencers and other stakeholders to disseminate key messages about Covid-19 to different population groups in Africa, aiming to reach every household across the continent.
The campaign will galvanise action against Covid-19 by drawing attention to the need for widespread testing and social prevention measures across the continent, in support of the Partnership to Accelerate Covid-19 Testing (PACT), Trace, Test and Track and the Africa Joint Continental Strategy for Covid-19 of the AU.
"There are four things we must do, scale up testing and isolate infected individuals, protect our healthcare workers, focus on communities to ensure that the community response is strong, and ensure a constant supply chain component," Africa CDC director John Nkengasong said.
“There is a big gap in testing on the continent and PACT is to support countries and increase their ability to test and trace for Covid-19. We see this as a movement and we call on the media, the community, the private sector, and everyone to partner with us.”
Chief executive of the Access Challenge Kate Campana said Covid-19 may soon hit Africa with full force.
“If this happens, we can expect widespread calamity on a scale that dwarfs even the worst of experiences in China, America or Italy.
"Most national health systems lack sophisticated respiratory machines and intensive care units to care for severe Covid cases," Campana said.
"It is therefore imperative for us to get ahead of this virus on the continent. Collectively, we must engage the public, build trust between governments and their constituents, and mobilise financial resources to ensure that essential medical equipment is available.”