COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease)

Our COVID-19 Mission Statement

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on 11 March 2020.

Roughly 80 per cent of confirmed cases of COVID-19 experience a mild respiratory illness but it has a higher rate of severe complications for vulnerable people – such as the elderly and people with compromised immune systems – than other viruses such as flu.  

The high level of supportive and intensive care required for people who become seriously ill has placed a heavy burden on some of the world’s most advanced healthcare systems. Where healthcare systems are less advanced, it will be very difficult to provide a similar level of care. 

Given this is a pandemic, MSF’s ability to respond on the scale required is limited, but we are currently responding in all the countries where we have projects by preparing our own teams and facilities and focusing on vulnerable groups of people. 

We are deeply concerned about how COVID-19 might affect people living in precarious situations such as the homeless, those living in refugee camps in Greece or Bangladesh, or people affected by conflict in Yemen or Syria. 

We must do everything we can to prevent and reduce further spread of the virus.  

We know from our experience that trust in the response and health authorities is an essential component for outbreak control. Clear, timely and honest communication and guidance is needed so that people can be empowered to protect themselves. 

How is MSF responding to COVID-19?

Supporting healthcare workers

Healthcare staff have a much greater risk of contracting the virus than people not working in the healthcare sector. In hospitals and other healthcare facilities that are overwhelmed by large numbers of patients and under conditions where there may be a reduced workforce due to sickness, this risk increases significantly. 

MSF is committed to ensuring safety for healthcare workers is the top priority in every healthcare facility we work in. In locations where MSF has existing projects, our teams are working together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and local Ministries of Health to oversee infection prevention and control measures, setting up COVID-19 screening points, isolating patients with any symptoms, and health education in the local areas. These measures help ensure that both staff and communities are as protected as possible during the pandemic.

Protecting communities at risk

The COVID-19 pandemic places those living in uncertain conditions at higher risk. People living in overcrowded accommodation, on the streets, in refugee camps, or in substandard housing are at particular risk. They are unable to physically distance themselves due to their living environments, and may lack access to clean water and sanitation services that would allow them to keep themselves safe through regular handwashing and other hygienic measures.

Many of those at risk are already in poor health and excluded from the formal healthcare system. Without the option for physical distancing, MSF teams must find other ways to help people keep themselves protected. These methods include mass distributions of soap, clean water, and, in carefully considered circumstances, reusable cloth masks. 

The elderly are most at risk of contracting a severe form of the illness, so our COVID-19 responses focuses on strengthening the infection control measures and protection of those living in nursing homes. Also at risk are those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, HIV or tuberculosis. We don’t yet know what the impact will be for children who suffer from severe malnutrition, or for communities that have been hit hard by the current measles outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa, for example. 

Keeping essential medical services running

Fragile health systems can quickly collapse under the intense pressure that comes with an epidemic and the many people who may fall ill. With only limited health staff and weak infrastructure to support them, regular and essential services are at risk when they are needed the most. If healthcare falters, common childhood killers like measles, malaria and diarrhoea, go untreated.

To better prepare the hundreds of health facilities MSF works in around the world and prevent transmission of COVID-19, our teams have been rolling out infection control measures and reorganising our medical services. Consultations have been adjusted to maintain safe distances between patients, and hospital wards have been redesigned to allow more space between each bed. Separate patient pathways have been established to divert people with suspected COVID-19 away from other patients.

We have suspended non-essential activities, such as elective surgery, and re-organised others to reduce the risks for patients and staff. For children in Chad during the current measles outbreak, our teams are preparing to provide vaccinations door-to-door. In Niger, MSF community health workers are conducting malaria check-ups within communities to avoid having large groups of people visiting health centres. For people living with HIV in Kenya, we are adapting our care by giving antiretroviral drugs to patients in three-month batches so they need to access health centres less frequently. Similarly, our teams in South Africa are ensuring HIV, TB and co-infected patients have medicine refills delivered straight to their homes. 

Preserving access to healthcare, both for COVID-19 patients as well as all others, is our paramount concern. Despite these current constraints, all MSF teams are striving to find ways to keep our lifesaving medical work running despite the serious challenges this pandemic is presenting.

Advocating for access to a COVID-19 vaccine

MSF advocates strongly for access to essential medical tools to all, at an affordable cost. We now have a new virus and disease, in the form of COVID-19, requiring the development of new tools, such as drugs, tests and vaccines. It is important that there should be no profiteering on any emerging medical tools used for this pandemic. High prices and monopolies of tools will only result in rationing and certain people missing out, which will prolong the pandemic.

Governments, pharmaceutical corporations, and research organisations need to take the necessary measures to ensure that the medical tools urgently needed for COVID-19 are accessible, affordable, and available to all. Once approved or available, tools must be prioritised for healthcare and frontline workers first, and then supplied based on equity and need.

Where is MSF responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

How our pre-existing projects are being affected

On any given day we are treating hundreds of thousands of patients for a variety of illnesses. We need to ensure we can continue to provide adequate and life-saving medical care in our ongoing projects.

This is challenging because current travel restrictions are limiting our ability to move staff between different countries.

Establishing future supplies of certain key items, such as surgical masks, swabs, gloves and chemicals for diagnosis of COVID-19 is also of concern.

There is a risk of supply shortages due to lack of production of generic drugs and difficulties to import essential drugs (such as antibiotics and antiretroviral drugs) due to lockdowns, reduced production of basic products, exportation stops or repurposing/stocking of drugs and material for COVID-19.