Situation of the Covid-19 pandemic in the ECOWAS region as at 18 March 2020

Situation of the Covid-19 pandemic in the ECOWAS region as at 18 March 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread across the 5 continents. As of 18 March 2020, in the ECOWAS region, 98 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported in 10 Member States with ONE death in Burkina Faso. The breakdown is as follows:

• Senegal (36)
• Burkina Faso (33) with 1 death
• Nigeria (8)
• Ghana (7)
• Côte d'Ivoire (6)
• Benin (2)
• Guinea (2)
• Togo (1)
• The Gambia (1)

WAHO strongly advises individuals to take the following measures to protect themselves and loved ones:

• Avoid close contact with people with acute respiratory infections.
• Cover your mouth and nose with an elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing. Dispose of the used tissue immediately and wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. This will protect others from any viruses released by coughing and sneezing.
• Wash your hands frequently, especially after direct contact with sick people or their surroundings.
• If possible, keep a distance of one meter between you and a person who coughs, sneezes or has a fever. COVID-19 appears to spread most easily through close contact with an infected person.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Hands touch many surfaces that may be contaminated with the virus.
• Avoid unprotected contact with farm or wild animals.
• If you have a fever, cough and/or difficulty breathing, call and inform the health centre of your visit, always following the advice of your health care provider or national health advisories.
• Within health care facilities, improve standard infection prevention and control practice in hospitals, especially in emergency departments.