Africa CDC: Medications for COVID-19 Webinar

Dr. Gideon Mlawa, a Consultant Physician in Diabetes and Endocrinology/General Internal Medicine in London, presented on the initial care of patients with COVID-19. He began with giving an overview of the clinical COVID-19 symptoms, together with clinical syndromes associated with COVID-19. From there he detailed the management of treatment for the different levels of illness. He began with mild illness treatment, followed by severe illness treatment, and lastly critical illness treatment. His presentation answered questions such as when clinicians should give supplemental oxygen therapy to COVID-19 patients, when to use fluid management, and more. Following, Dr. Senait Kebede, an Adjunct Associate Professor at Emory University, presented on medication for COVID-19, and the current evidence. Dr. Kebede’s presentation began with stating the concern regarding misinformation, and briefly mentioned a statement on COVID-19 medications issued by Africa CDC. Moving on, she went over Hydroxychloroquine and Chroloquine and whether or not they are effective medications for COVID-19 treatment, and also discussed the usage of NSAIDs/Ibuprofen for COVID-19 symptom treatment. Dr. Kebede also presented on the ongoing COVID-19 clinical trials, the phases of drug development, and the various ethical issues surrounding infectious disease outbreaks. Following the presentations was a Q&A segment posing questions asked by participants to the presenters. It was led by Dr. Brittany Murray, an Assistant Professor at Emory University’s School of Medicine. Questions such as “How is preparation going as far as making sure countries don’t run out of resources for ICU capacity?” and “How would you go about deciding to treat a patient with steroids or not?” were asked to the presenters. To end the webinar, Dr. Raji Tajudeen, Head of the Division of Public Health Institutes and Research at Africa CDC, gave a brief update on the steps Africa CDC is taking in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the steps mentioned were the creation of different technical groups, collaboration with the private sector to ensure a stockpile of medical equipment, and the establishment of a COVID-19 fund by heads of Member States. He also notified participants that the African Union will be issuing a statement in regards to Africa not being a testing ground for COVID-19 clinical trials. Dr. Tajudeen finalized by mentioning that Africa CDC is working with partners to ensure a strong mechanism is in place to guarantee the research conducted in Africa is of the highest ethical standards.