COVID-19

UPDATE FOR
NURSES
September 2020/Ed.2

COVID-19; IS IT OVER? HOW WILL IT

Greetings from END?
the QA Team!! We know how the COVID-19 pandemic began: Bats near Wuhan, China, hold
a mix of coronavirus strains, and one of the strains, opportunistic enough to
cross species lines, left its host(s) and ended up in a person. What no one
Greetings and welcome to the knows yet is how the pandemic will end? However, past pandemics can offer
second edition of our COVID-19 hints of the future.
Newsletter for Nurses.
Viruses are constantly mutating. Those that trigger pandemics have enough
novelty that the human immune system does not quickly recognize them as
The first newsletter was very well dangerous invaders. They force the body to create a brand-new defense,
received! Thank you for your involving new antibodies and other immune system components that can react
positive feedback. to and attack the virus. Large numbers of people get sick in the short term,
and social factors such as overcrowding and the unavailability of medicine can
In this edition, we bring you more drive those numbers even higher. Ultimately, in most cases, antibodies
news and information on the developed by the immune system to fight off the virus linger in enough of the
COVID-19 pandemic; advice on affected population to confer longer-term immunity and limit person-to-person
self-care; introduce you to new viral transmission. But that can take several years.
staff members; and celebrate our
Projections about how COVID-19 will play out are speculative, but the end
successes in the fight against the
game will most likely involve a mix of everything that checked past pandemics:
pandemic. Continued social-control measures to buy time; new antiviral medications to
ease symptoms; and a VACCINE! The exact formula—how long control
The QA team welcomes all measures such as social distancing must stay in place, for instance—depends
comment and feedback on this in large part on how strictly people obey restrictions and how effectively and
newsletter. Please contact your promptly governments respond.
local QA&T reps with your
suggestions: Susan Coetzee Researchers are working on multiple fronts to develop remedies. If any of the
(TTC), Eldhose Vijayan (KMH) several antiviral medications currently in development prove effective, they
and Anthony Mwewa (Ndola). will improve treatment options and lower the numbers who get seriously ill or
die. It is not clear whether a vaccine will confer long-term immunity as with
measles or short-term immunity as with flu shots. But “any vaccine at all would
STAY SAFE!
be helpful at this point,” says epidemiologist Aubree Gordon of the University
of Michigan.

Unless a vaccine is administered to all of the world’s eight billion inhabitants

who are not currently sick or recovered, COVID-19 is likely to become
endemic. It will circulate and make people sick seasonally—sometimes very
sick. If the virus stays in the human population long enough, it will start to
infect children. Those cases are typically, though not always, quite mild. The
combination of vaccination and natural immunity might be the solution. The
coronavirus, like most viruses, will live on—but not as a planetary plague.

Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-covid-19-pandemic-could-end1/
THE SITUATION IN ZAMBIA
On the 11th September Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu has announced the reopening of schools
and bars as COVID-19 cases begin to decline.

Addressing parliament in Lusaka, President Lungu said schools, colleges and universities would now reopen
between 14th and 23rd of September. Only students in examination classes had been attending classes.

President Lungu said bars would partially open on a pilot basis while observing precautionary measures such
as social distancing and sanitizing of hands.

Health Minister Dr. Chitalu Chilufya has said that the decision to reopen schools, higher learning institutions, and
partial operation of bars and nightclubs was due to a reduced number of recorded positive cases in the recent
past. Speaking during the COVID-19 update, the Health Minister reminded Zambians that should there be
complacency on health guidelines the Head of State might tighten restrictions on the patronage of bars and
nightclubs.

Many countries such as France, Spain, Australia and Korea experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases after
lockdown regulations was lifted. According to the WHO a record single day increase in global coronavirus cases
was recorded on 13th September with 307,930 new confirmed cases. The largest increases were in India, the
US and Brazil. The WHO also warned that Europe can expect to see more deaths from COVID-19 as soon as
next month. “It’s going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality,” said Hans
Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe
.
PLEASE DO NOT LET YOUR GUARD DOWN AT THIS TIME. STAY VIGILANT and STAY SAFE!

Source: https://www.newscientist.com

COVID STIGMATIZATION
WHAT IS SOCIAL STIGMA?
Social stigma, in the context of health, is the negative association between a person or group of people who
share certain characteristics and a specific disease. In an outbreak, this may mean people are labelled,
stereotyped, discriminated against, treated separately, and/or experience loss of status because of a perceived
link with a disease. Such treatment can negatively affect those with the disease, as well as their caregivers,
family, friends and communities.

People who don’t have the disease but share other characteristics with this group may also suffer from stigma.
The current COVID-19 outbreak has provoked social stigma and discriminatory behaviors against people of
certain ethnic backgrounds as well as anyone perceived to have been in contact with the virus.

WHY IS COVID-19 CAUSING SO MUCH STIGMA?

The level of stigma associated with COVID-19 is based on three main factors:
1) it is a disease that’s new and for which there are still many unknowns;
2) we are often afraid of the unknown; and
3) it is easy to associate that fear with ‘others’.
It is understandable that there is confusion, anxiety, and fear among the public. Unfortunately, these factors are
also fueling harmful stereotypes.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT?

Stigma can undermine social cohesion and prompt possible social isolation of groups, which might contribute to
a situation where the virus is more, not less, likely to spread. This can result in more severe health problems and
difficulties controlling a disease outbreak.
Stigma can:
 Drive people to hide the illness to avoid discrimination.
 Prevent people from seeking health care immediately.
 Discourage them from adopting healthy behaviors to control the spread of the disease.
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MBHS IN THE NEWS
Health Minister Dr. Chitalu Chilufya has concluded his tour of duty in North-Western Province earlier in
September. On this occasion he also visited Kansanshi Mine Hospital and was full of praise for the work done
by MBHS.

Lusaka Times also reported on this event and according to this newspaper “The Minister also toured Merryberg
(sic) hospital in the district and described it fit to conduct testing. He also commended the management for
maintaining cleanliness at the hospital.”

Photo credit:
Lusaka Times
News of the ministerial tour was also relayed via Facebook. During a live broadcast Mr. John Gladstone,
Assistant General Manager, Kansanshi Mine, commended our healthcare workers in Solwezi and Kalumbila for
their work during the pandemic.

THANK YOU to all our staff who contributed to keeping our communities safe, healthy and productive and who
continue to project this professional image of MBHS!
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COVID-19 TESTING AT MBHS!!

MBHS facility, KMH became an accredited testing site under the MOH for COVID-19 and ran its first test on
7th September, 2020. This makes MBHS one of only two testing centers in the North Western Province. This
allows us to provide the entire testing service, which include request, sample collection, sample processing
and reporting. The platform used is the GeneXpert which is the same equipment used for TB sputum testing.

Testing for SARS-CoV-2 is a critical pillar of our COVID-19 response. This allows us to provide the entire
spectrum of care to our patients. The major advantage of this in-house testing capacity is the quick turnaround
time to results which is 45 minutes.

No longer do we have to wait between 5 days and two weeks for results.

MBHS EXTENDED HEALTH BENEFITS DURING THE COVID-

19 PANDEMIC
We appreciate that during this pandemic, our staff are worried
about their health and the health of their families, especially as
they are on the frontline treating patients with COVID-19. As
such, MBHS have temporarily extended benefits to provide
further support to staff and their families. In case an employee
requires admission, MBHS will provide all healthcare services
and goods — within our facilities — free of charge. If an
employee needs to be referred to another facility, MBHS will
provide a benefit limit of ZMW50,000 per case to support. In this
case, the usual sick day process will be applied.
However, if an employee exceeds their sick days due to being ill with COVID-19, a special dispensation will be
given. If a dependent, as defined by our Medical Scheme, of an employee becomes sick with COVID-19, MBHS
shall provide all healthcare services and goods within our facilities — free of charge for the dependent. However,
no benefits will be made available where dependents require referrals.

If somone in the employee’s household develops COVID-19, then the employee will need to self-isolate with
the household for 14 days. However, if the employee is in a high-risk group, MBHS can provide accommodation
for those 14 days to the high-risk staff. There will be special leave granted to the staff so that their salary and
annual leave remains intact.

These extended benefits are only to support during the COVID-19 pandemic. As such the benefits will be for
six months. However, we will also assess, through guidelines from relevant bodies such as the WHO, CDC and
GRZ, when the pandemic risk is low enough to stop the benefits.

For more details on the exteded benefits, please contact the HR depatment or an HR advisor. Pg.4
COPING WITH STRESS: ADVICE FOR HOSPITAL STAFF
DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC

You are doing really important and difficult work!

At times you will probably find that you feel anxious, stressed, scared, sad, overwhelmed, angry, guilty, helpless
or even numb. These are all normal responses to an extremely challenging situation. You may experience
different emotions at different stages of the pandemic. For example, early on, you might feel anxious thinking
about what could happen or that you are in a heightened state of “readiness”. At the peak phases you may
experience surges of adrenaline. Over time you may feel more like you are “running on empty”.

There may be times when you feel you are coping well and times you feel that you are coping less well.
Everyone is different, and everyone will experience different emotions at different times.

There are things that you can do to help you take care of yourself.
 It is important to try to eat, drink and sleep properly.
 Try to think about and use strategies that have helped you in the past to cope with stressful situations.
 Stay in touch with your friends and family – even if you can’t see them in person, you can have video
and phone calls.
 Engage in physical activity. Maintain a routine as much as you can. Plan regular activities that help
you feel good.
 Avoid using unhelpful coping strategies like smoking, alcohol or other drugs.
 Try to limit the time you spend watching, reading or listening to the news.
 If you feel overwhelmed, know that there are ways to get support. Talk to your colleagues, your
manager, or someone else that you trust about how you are feeling. You are not alone in this situation
– your colleagues are likely to be experiencing similar things to you, and you can support each other.
 Be compassionate to yourself and others. It is OK to say you are not OK.
 Focus on what is in your control. Pay attention to things that are going well when you can.
 Share and celebrate the successes or small wins. Remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. Even
though this is a marathon, it will not last forever and the epidemic will end.

NEW FACE AT MBHS (KALUMBILA)

Joining us in the fight against COVID-19 is Dr. Sherwin Bhika. In his own words…
“My name is: Sherwin Bhika. I come from Cape Town, South Africa. I am passionate
about emergency medicine and being part of a team of "marvel superheroes" 😁 who
have one heart felt mission - making a difference in the lives of patients, one person at
a time.
The greatest part of my medical journey has been working at one of the busiest district
hospital emergency department in Cape Town (Mitchells Plain + Heideveld hub). I am
privileged to be united to a precious human being called Nala. And when I am not in the
ED, I am a coffee junkie and devote my time to my other half and karate.”

WELCOME TO MBHS DOCTOR BHIKA!

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COPING WITH COVID-19: THE THINGS WE DO!

As the world continues to battle COVID-19, healthcare workers have once again shown resilience, leadership,
compassion, creativity and vision in the face of great adversity. Here are some of the things they got up to.

Here comes the bride…

Nurses at the San Antonio Methodist

Hospital in Texas hosted a wedding for a
COVID-19 patient after he fell critically ill
from the virus and had to cancel plans. The
wedding included all the trimmings from the
wedding cake to rings and tuxedo T-shirts
for the groom and his groomsmen. Head
nurse Matt Holdridge said that the wedding
was as much part of the hospital staff’s
recovery as it contributed to the recovery of
the patient.

Constantiaberg Hospital ICU celebrated

the recovery of their COVID-19 patients
with the Jerusalema dance.

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COPING WITH COVID-19: THE THINGS WE DO!
(cont.)
At the Netcare Alberlito Hospital (KZN, South Africa) balloons was released to commemorate COVID-19
patients who lost their lives during the pandemic. The hospital also celebrated the victory of COVID-19
survivors to the tune of Jerusalema (below picture).

ICU UPSKILL COURSE FOR RN’S

Congratulations to the class of 2020!! 100% pass rate!

The class average was 91%. Top scorers (by a small margin!) were:

1. Elvis Katongo - 96%

2. Tinashe Chuulu- 95%
3. Chingaipe and Sifa - 94%

YOUR SPECIALLY DESIGNED CERTIFICATES ARE ON THEIR WAY!

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MBHS PHOTO OF THE MONTH

For more information on COVID-19 and other topics of interest to nurses

join our Facebook page.

CONTACT MBHS AT:

Head Office, MBHS

53 Chintu Avenue, Northrise
PO Box 72221, Ndola, Zambia
(+260) 21 2611512
Website:
www.marybeggclinic.com
Facebook:
Mary Begg Health Services

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