The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Saturday said 812 healthcare workers had been infected with COVID-19 nationwide, adding that it had begun an online course on Infection Prevention and Control of the virus.
The centre noted that the online course is available to the public, but targeted at healthcare workers.
NCDC said the course was to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases while administering healthcare in Nigeria.
The agency said, “As at June 2, about 812 health care workers have been infected in-country with over 230,000 infected globally. The national strategy in response to COVID-19 has been multifaceted. In the absence of a vaccine or cure, compliance with IPC measures remains one of the most effective interventions to control the ongoing outbreak.
“The NCDC has made efforts to rapidly strengthen the capacity of frontline healthcare workers in infection prevention and control wherever health care is provided. Since the first case in Nigeria was confirmed in February, NCDC has supported the training of about 17,436 health workers in IPC and works in collaboration with the Departments of Hospital Services and Food and Drugs of the Federal Ministry of Health.
“This is to ensure that health workers are provided with the required personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of health workers’ infection.
“The online course is also designed to document vital information to monitor IPC compliance across health facilities at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, both in public, private and faith-based facilities in Nigeria. Infection, prevention and control measures cut across all other components of the COVID-19 response in Nigeria. They are critical for strengthening national health security.”
The centre noted that it remained committed to protecting the health of Nigerians, while urging Nigerians to remain aware of the risks of COVID-19 and adhere to the preventive measures advised by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the Federal Ministry of Health.
