Goma, a city in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is the epicenter of a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, said DRC’s COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jean-Jacques Muyembe on Thursday.
Muyembe, who arrived on Thursday in the capital of DRC’s North Kivu province, called on local residents to be aware of the existence of COVID-19.
“I came here to Goma to assess the situation. We have found that North Kivu is the province most threatened by the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in DRC. And that’s how I came to see what’s happening and what measures we need to propose to control this third wave here in Goma,” he said.
“We are going to strengthen screening and care, and we are really asking the population to respect barrier gestures. And if vaccines are available, do not hesitate. Go quickly to get vaccinated. That’s what saves, that’s what protects,” he added.
As a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic weighs down on DRC, the Central African nation has seen a significant increase in the number of infections and deaths over recent weeks.
Since the beginning of the epidemic in March 2020, the total number of COVID-19 cases in DR Congo surged to 45,210 while the death toll from the disease climbed to 984. Enditem
