Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
Cumulatively, 1,169 people are confirmed to have COVID-19 in Sierra Leone, with health workers accounting for 10.9% of all cases. Of the recorded positive cases, 51 people have died (56.9% male, mean age 58.8 years), and 680 people have fully recovered. The case fatality rate currently stands at 4.4%.
Cases have been reported in 15 out of 16 districts in Sierra Leone. Western Area Urban and Rural districts account for 70.4% of all cases. Contract tracing has been conducted for 7,100 persons, and a total of 1,482 people are presently in quarantine.
The use of face masks in public is now required by all persons. School closures, inter-district travel bans, 9pm-6am curfew and restrictions on mass gatherings remain in effect since April 2020. COVID-19 task forces are being augmented in several districts.
UNICEF Sierra Leone Highlights
- UNICEF has provided technical support in the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Community Health Workers (CHWs), now being trained on their revised roles and responsibilities in community-based service provision and COVID-19 occupational safety, including infection prevention control (IPC) measures.
- Technical and financial support from UNICEF has enabled the repair of 64 community water points out of eighty-six (86) planned in Western Area. Over 32,000 people are benefitting from the newly repaired water supply.
- UNICEF supported deployment of 1,784 community mobilizers in the registration teams for bed-net distribution during which households were informed of COVID-19 prevention transmission measures; 2,394 imams and pastors sensitized more than 30,000 members of their congregations on COVID-19 prevention transmission behaviours.
- As children remain out-of-school, UNICEF provided basic stationery and supplies to exam grade students to accompany the ongoing radio teaching programme.
- Following concerted advocacy by UNICEF, the strategic framework and workplan of the Psychosocial (PSS) Pillar has been approved and operationalization is due to begin.
- UNICEF continues to provide technical support to the National Emergency Operations Center, including development of a dashboard to support the 117 Emergency Call Center functionality.
- To date, an estimated 8,812 households have been reached through an emergency cash transfer programme supported by UNICEF.