DRC: authorities "almost convinced" of a second wave of Covid-19 in progress
Kinshasa, August 10, 2020. A student has his temperature taken at the entrance to the school.
(Illustrative image) Arsene Mpiana / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The signals are red in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where authorities say they are facing a second wave of Covid-19 cases.
The average observed several months ago has seen a worrying rebound in recent days.
A situation due in particular to the relaxation of health measures by populations who risk being confined if they do not recover, says Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe.
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With our correspondent in Kinshasa,
Pascal Mulegwa
Technical Secretary of the Multisectoral Committee for the Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic in the DRC,
Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe
is
sounding
the alarm.
The new coronavirus is still raging in the country, and the number of cases has been increasing in recent days.
“
We started to see an upward trend.
Three, four days ago, it was 20, 39 cases a day.
And then it went to 50, 55 cases per day.
Whereas before, we only had 9, 10 cases per day,
”he explains.
The professor continues: “
Today we are almost convinced that we are in the second wave.
"A concern which pushes the authorities of the DRC to" put in place new strategies
"to face this rebound of the epidemic.
The Congolese must act now to celebrate Christmas and the New Year more calmly
Professor Muyembe's objective is defined: “
To reduce the rate of transmission.
To achieve this, "
we will first strengthen risk communication and community engagement.
We will also ensure massive screening of the population through rapid diagnostic tests
”.
Border surveillance will also be stepped up.
Thus, any traveler coming from abroad will be tested.
“
The epidemic was introduced by travelers,
” recalls the professor.
"
If the population wants to calmly celebrate Christmas and the New Year, it is really time to observe the barrier gestures and all these protective measures that the government has put in place,
" he insists.
According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, Covid-19 has already affected more than 12,600 people and caused the death of 333 people in the DRC.
► Also to listen: DRC: the galley of travelers from Lubumbashi to obtain their Covid test certificate
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