Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-...ighest-covid-19-death-rate-of-critically-ill/
31/05/21
Africa ‘has highest COVID-19 death rate of critically ill’
By: Eldon Opiyo
[NAIROBI] Africa has the highest death rates in the world among critically ill COVID-19 patients, with limited intensive care resources a major factor, a study says.
Africa’s 2.86 million cases of COVID-19 represent about two per cent of the global total of 166.35 million cases, according to a situational report on the pandemic published by the World Health Organization last week (25 May).
Researchers, who conducted the study published in The Lancet this month (22 May), say that Africa lacks data on critically ill patients with COVID-19, and factors associated with death or survival in resource-limited settings.
“We cannot afford to have a scenario similar to what is happening in India, happen in Africa.”
Bruce Biccard, University of Cape Town
In an attempt to fill this gap, they conducted an observational study of patients who were referred to intensive care or high-care units from May to December 2020 in a total of 64 hospitals in ten African countries — Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria and South Africa — to identify death or survival rates and associated factors. Researchers also compared their findings with regional and global death rates.
Of the 3,077 critically ill adults who participated in the study and were followed up for at least 30 days unless they died or were discharged, 1,483 (48.2 per cent), died, the study says.
CABI & COVID
“We expected the outcomes associated with COVID-19 to be worse in Africa because we have a limited workforce, and we have limited intensive care facilities and critical care resources across Africa to provide sufficient care,” says Bruce Biccard, co-author and a professor at the Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
“It is unacceptable that people should have a higher [chance of] mortality, just because of where they live. We need to advocate for quality healthcare in Africa, and other under-resourced environments. The burden of poorly managed COVID-19 has a long-term impact [on] quality of life, productivity and economics,” he adds...
31/05/21
Africa ‘has highest COVID-19 death rate of critically ill’
By: Eldon Opiyo
[NAIROBI] Africa has the highest death rates in the world among critically ill COVID-19 patients, with limited intensive care resources a major factor, a study says.
Africa’s 2.86 million cases of COVID-19 represent about two per cent of the global total of 166.35 million cases, according to a situational report on the pandemic published by the World Health Organization last week (25 May).
Researchers, who conducted the study published in The Lancet this month (22 May), say that Africa lacks data on critically ill patients with COVID-19, and factors associated with death or survival in resource-limited settings.
“We cannot afford to have a scenario similar to what is happening in India, happen in Africa.”
Bruce Biccard, University of Cape Town
In an attempt to fill this gap, they conducted an observational study of patients who were referred to intensive care or high-care units from May to December 2020 in a total of 64 hospitals in ten African countries — Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria and South Africa — to identify death or survival rates and associated factors. Researchers also compared their findings with regional and global death rates.
Of the 3,077 critically ill adults who participated in the study and were followed up for at least 30 days unless they died or were discharged, 1,483 (48.2 per cent), died, the study says.
CABI & COVID
“We expected the outcomes associated with COVID-19 to be worse in Africa because we have a limited workforce, and we have limited intensive care facilities and critical care resources across Africa to provide sufficient care,” says Bruce Biccard, co-author and a professor at the Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
“It is unacceptable that people should have a higher [chance of] mortality, just because of where they live. We need to advocate for quality healthcare in Africa, and other under-resourced environments. The burden of poorly managed COVID-19 has a long-term impact [on] quality of life, productivity and economics,” he adds...