Rwanda inaugurates largest treatment center amid coronavirus outbreak

Africa News of Monday January 11, 2021

Source: theeastafrican.co.ke

01/11/2021

Rwanda has launched its largest treatment center for Covid-19 patients, which is expected to provide aid to overwhelmed hospitals across the country.

The new center has the capacity to admit 140 patients to its intensive care unit and comes as the country desperately tries to control a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic that left 115 people dead on January 8, with 2,313 active cases .

The treatment center is located in the new Nyarugenge district hospital in Kigali city, built for around $ 10 million.

“The facility should improve the management of Covid-19 cases. It offers the highest level of oxygen therapy and its intensive care capacity admits 136 patients, ”Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) said on Twitter.

Before its launch, Rwanda had a total of 114 intensive care unit beds, 90 fixed ventilators and 130 priority portable ventilators for Covid-19 patients, according to the Rwanda Biomedical Center.

More than 50 patients in need of oxygen and intensive care are expected to be transferred to the center from other treatment centers in Kigali.

Experts predict a third wave of viral infection before the vaccine is available to much of the population.

“Covid-19 has some factors in common with previous respiratory pandemics such as the Spanish flu of 1918. We need three waves to be able to manage it. Since the vaccine will not take effect immediately everywhere at the same time, we could have another wave of infections this year, ”Dr Menelas Nkeshimana told The EastAfrican.

Dr Nkeshimana, a member of the Rwanda Joint Task Force for Covid-19 with experience in managing pandemics, added that the country faces the risk of rising infections due to its young and mobile population which facilitates contagion.

As of mid-December, Rwanda authorized up to 42 private clinics to start Covid-19 testing using rapid antigen tests. This was done to facilitate access to testing services and relieve the pressure on public testing facilities.

Rwanda had recorded a total of 9,368 coronavirus infections and 6,940 recoveries as of Friday, out of 760,897 tests carried out since the virus was reported in the country in March.

As the pandemic rages on, Rwanda temporarily restricted movement of people between its capital Kigali and other districts last week in its latest attempt to curb the spike in coronavirus infections and deaths.

A strict 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. curfew has been maintained as police and security agencies travel across the country to ensure people adhere to social distancing and mask wearing.

The government has announced plans to purchase doses of the vaccine from Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and US biotechnology company Moderna.

Rwanda plans to vaccinate 20% of its population in March 2021.