French Red Cross is helping to fight the second wave of COVID-19 in the Comoros

4 02 2021 | Union of the Comoros, Show, Uncategorized

Since mid-December 2020 the Union of the Comoros has been faced with an increasing number of COVID-19 cases. The French Red Cross, through PIROI and its permanent delegation in the Comoros, has been responding to this second wave across the nation’s three islands.  
With the number of contaminations having risen in recent weeks, health authorities have strengthened efforts with patient care centres. As a result, the country’s need for personal protective equipment (PPE) has increased considerably, and the supplies currently available will soon be depleted.

In order to ensure medical professionals and Red Crescent volunteers are fully protected, PIROI recently dispatched a new consignment of PPE. The equipment sent by PIROI – which is intended for healthcare workers and Comoros Red Crescent volunteers – has been further supplemented by donations of masks (from Reunion’s Departmental Council) and antigen tests (from Reunion’s Regional Public Health Authority) for the Comorian health authorities.

kg of equipement transported

In total, 750kg  of equipment were transported to Moroni on Thursday 28 January with the help of the French Armed Forces of the Southern Indian Ocean, who provided a CASA aircraft for the delivery.

The French Red Cross in the Comoros

The French Red Cross has been working alongside Comoros Red Crescent since 1999. FRC is currently conducting three development projects in-country, in the fields of healthcare, disaster risk reduction, and the fight against gender based violence, benefiting 50,000 people overall.

Ever since the beginning of the pandemic the French Red Cross has been assisting Comoros Red Crescent and the country’s Ministry for Health to limit the impact of the health crisis on local populations. Teams carry out disinfection (in Covid patient care centres, and in homes following burials), monitor and detect cases in local communities, maintain proper access to water and hygiene at healthcare centres and Covid patient care centres, and organise “roadshows” to raise public awareness about protective measures.

The FRC’s main partners in the Comoros are the French Development Agency, the French Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs, Mayotte’s Departmental Council, and the European Union through its Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and INTERREG regional cooperation programme.