In just three months, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) passed the threshold of 4,500 confirmed COVID-19 cases – a likely underestimate given the limited COVID-19 testing capabilities within the country. While 11 of the country's provinces are affected, its capital, Kinshasa, accounts for 90 per cent of cases.



In this city of more than 13 million inhabitants, MSF quickly organised mobile teams to support 50 health facilities. Our teams have reinforced hygiene measures there, provided masks and handwashing facilities, and trained medical staff and community workers in infection prevention and control. A few weeks into the pandemic in DRC, MSF also started supporting Saint Joseph hospital in Kinshasa’s Limete health zone. Our teams set up a 40-bed treatment centre for patients with mild to moderate symptoms.



Beyond this response, MSF teams are witnessing a worrying hidden impact of the pandemic. Since COVID-19 hit Kinshasa, MSF notices a marked drop in the number of several health facilities in the city. One of the main reasons behind this is the fear of many inhabitants to get infected with the virus by going to health facilities deemed under-equipped with protective equipment. This drop in medical attendance is a cause for concern for MSF as many patients may die of conditions that could have been prevented. And the mortality rate linked to other medical conditions - diabetes, HIV, tuberculosis, malaria… – may become much higher than that currently observed in patients with COVID-19. Today, the continuity of care for those patients is at stake. To help address this situation, MSF is notably advocating for health centres to be better supplied with personal protective equipment. "This would improve patients' confidence in going to health facilities and, in turn, strengthen efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 while providing essential medical services