Burkina Faso registers surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitals under pressure

West African nation Burkina Faso is witnessing a massive surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths as the number of daily infections have risen from below 50 in early December to more than 100 by the start of the new year. Hospitals in the country are struggling to keep up with mounting cases as authorities fear if the spread is not prevented then critical care beds might run out very soon. This, while several reports suggest that Burkina Faso may be massively undercounting cases because of lack of facility to conduct mass testing. 

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According to Burkina Faso's Health Ministry, the country has registered more than 11,000 cases and 134 deaths so far. The number of cases may appear relatively low compared to some of the other nations across the globe but is still high for a country where health care facilities have seen a massive cut in the past few years because of the ongoing conflict, that has damaged infrastructures and displaced thousands. Burkina Faso is also struggling to keep hospitals adequately staffed at all time, as workers while speaking to the press, have said that they feel pressured due to lack of human resource. 

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Vaccinations in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is still far from receiving COVID-19 vaccine doses that would help the government launch a response to control the pandemic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is working to obtain and deliver over 100 million doses of vaccines to low-income countries by end of March under the COVAX initiative. If WHO keeps the promise and Burkina Faso fulfils the criteria, the country could receive over 1 million doses for its population of 10 million. 

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For the time being, the government has called on the members of the general public to observe all COVID-19 health & safety-related protocols, including wearing face coverings and maintaining social distance. Burkina Faso authorities suggest the lack of respect for social distancing norms may also be the reason behind the country's sudden surge in cases and deaths. 

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(Image, Input: AP)