Around The County: Updates From Five Counties – September 1, 2021

Latest From Across the Country: Three Persons Have Tested Positive for COVID-19 in Grand Gedeh County; Maryland County’s Health Team Embarks on Mobile Treatment of Suspected COVID-19 Patients; Residents in Margibi County Call for Opening of a Newly Built Clinic; Rural Towns in Nimba County Receive Essential Drugs Form Diaspora  Liberians, & Bong County Announces Arrival of 29,400 Doses of J&J Vaccine

Grand Gedeh County: Three Persons Test Positive for COVID-19

Dr. Tebo Boduo is the newly assigned County Health Officer | Photo By: Ben T.C. Brooks

Zwedru – Grand Gedeh County has again returned to the response stage of Covid-19 after completing its first 28 days of green zone due to confirmation of three new cases, according to Dr. Tebo Boduo, County Health Officer.

According to the newly assigned CHO, the county is back to the response stage with three new cases of the virus reported in the county. The patients are Ivorian refugees residing in Toe Town, B’hai District.

Dr. Boduo said the patients were confirmed positive after voluntary testing of several refugees in the Toe Town.

He said over 34 contacts are being traced while the three patients are being placed in the isolation center located outside Zwedru — where they are undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, Dr. Boduo has announced that over 5,000 doses of J&J Covid-19 vaccines have arrived in the county and are expected to be launched very soon to the public.

Maryland County: Health Team, Partners Begin Treating COVID-19 Patients at Home

A health worker checks the temperature of a male patient during a recent home treatment visit in Harper Maryland County | Photo By: Bryan Dioh

Harper — The County Health Team in collaboration with Partners in Health (PIH), an NGO based in the county, has launched a home-based care for “patients who are not in critical condition or do not have severe symptoms” of COVID-19. This is being done in accordance with WHO regulations, the CHO Methodust George said.

Dr. George added that these patients are monitored on a daily basis by the community health team comprising of clinical and mental health staff from PIH, J.J. Dossen Hospital and the County Health Team.

“A team is first sent to assess the homes of patients who test positive for COVID-19 to confirm if their residence is suitable for home-based care before they are recommended for isolation at home,” Dr. George said.

“Partners In Health also supports patients with the necessary medications, food for patients, infection prevention control kit (mask, liquid soap, detergent, garbage bin, cloth for cleaning) and other essentials to facilitate quality patient care and continuous adherence to COVID-19 prevention protocol.”

For her part, Viola Karajan, Deputy Executive Director for PIH, reaffirmed the NGO’s support towards buttressing the health sector in combating COVID-19.

“We are committed to providing quality health care for all, especially now when the world is grappling with a pandemic that threatens the gains made in healthcare delivery,” she said. “We think there is need to have our citizens cooperating with us so as to really fight this pandemic.”

Maryland County has recorded 147 confirmed cases of COVId-19 since the outbreak with 139 recoveries and seven deaths, according to data released by the National Public Health Institute on August 29, 2021.

Pleebo Health Center Gets Anti-Covid-19 Materials

Meanwhile in Pleebo, the Liberian Institute for Sustainable Economic Empowerment (LiSEE) has donated assorted anti-Covid-19 materials to the Pleebo Health Center. The items included 14 bottles of chloral, a cartoon powder soap, and several dozens of masks.

LiSEE’s Director, Isaac T. Dweh said the gesture is in response to the challenges at the health facility, which is the major public health facility in the densely populated commercial district.

“We want to, first of all, appreciate the government for the support to the district health center and the health workers for the hard work to our people in the district,” said Mr. Dweh.

For his part, the Officer-In-Charge of the Pleebo Health Center, S. Isaac David, Sr., thanked Mr. Dweh and his organization for the kind gesture, stressing that “it will go a long way in enhancing health care delivery and fighting Covid-19”.

Margibi County: Residents Demand Opening of Health Facility

A man walks pass the the newly constructed 13-Bedroom health facility in Garzon Reserve, Mende Town, of Division 16 near the Firestone Rubber Plantation | Photo By: Kosian Bolo

Mende Town — Residents of Garzon Reserve and its environs in Lower Margibi County have stressed the importance of opening the newly constructed Garzon Health Center.

Garzon Health Center is a 13-bedroom health facility project funded by the county’s social development fund. The facility is expected to serve several other communities on the outskirt of Division 16 of the Firestone Rubber planation

Residents and elders of the community told LocalVoicesLiberia about the importance of a functioning clinic in their area.

“We are overwhelmed and happy to have this clinic open soon,” said Gunter Garweon, a prominent resident of the community.

“The health care delivery is a serious problem for us, women in labour pain, sick adults and children are transported on motorbike covering one-hour distance — going as far as Number Seven for treatment.

“This is our long-awaited wish, because we have been managing by the special grace of God and so it is significant to swiftly open the Clinic now.”

Madam Martha J.N. Gbonyea, Vice principal at the Garzon Reserve Public School, applauded efforts of the District One lawmaker for advocating for the construction of the hospital but she anxious to see the facility doors open.

“I hope to see this clinic open and functioning very soon for our people to have a good medical center,” Madam Gbonyea said.  “Because we are denied several times at Firestone Referral Hospital on ground that we do not have ID card for the company as many have died in the process, and so we will appreciate the opening of this clinic.”

Nimba County:  Diaspora Liberians Donate Essential Drugs to Rural Communities

A health work takes stock of the donated drugs by a group of diaspora Liberians | Photo By: Joseph Solo, Jr.

Zahn, Nimba County – Residents of Zahn Chiefdom have all reasons to smile again as their compatriots in the diaspora brought some relief to them by donating assorted medical supplies to buttress the communities’ fight against COVID-19.

The medical supply includes malaria drugs, typhoid, infection, ulcer and diabetes, among others were given to Zahn Duo, Zahn Barla and Bunadin Clinics respectively.

The donation came as residents expressed concern about the lack of basic essential drugs at the health facility in the area. Recounting the challenges to journalists, they lamented how the three clinics in the district were “prescription centers” prior to the arrival of the medical supplies.

“Our people could not get common malaria medicine and we were worried about what would happen if we had any Coronavirus outbreak in our district”, said Lawrina Flomo, a resident of Zahn, who added that despite the challanges they they were adhering to the COVID-19 health protocol.

“We do not overlook the health messages we hear on the radio. We are constantly wearing nose masks and every house has a hand washing facility”.

Pastor Enoch Saye Gown, who presented the consignment to the three clinics on behalf of the Zahn citizens residing in America, said the initiative seeks to address the drug shortage in the chiefdom.

“With this issue of drug shortage being reported all over Liberia, especially during this time of COVID-19 our people in America thought this could be one of the best ways to give back to their people in our Chiefdom,” said Pastor Gown. “Health is everyone’s business as such, it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that our people are healthy”.

Receiving the items on behalf of the three clinics, the Officer-In-Charge of the Zahn Duo Clinic, Audrick W. Karpoleh, thanked the citizen for their continued support to the health sector.

Said Karpoleh: “We remain grateful to our people in the diaspora for their unflinching support to our health system. But we would like to call on them to continue this gesture as you may know, our health system is challenged. The last time we ever received medical supplies from the county health team was in May 2021. These drugs will be used to treat some of the major sicknesses in our community”.

Bong County: 29,400 Doses of J&J Arrives in the County

Dr. Jonathan Flomo announced that the 29,400 doses of J&J vaccine will be rollout beginning the first week of September | Photo By: Emmanuel Mafelah

Gbarnga — County Health Team Officer, Dr. Jonathan Flomo, has announced the arrival of 29,400 doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the county.

In a telephone conversation with LocalVoicesLiberia on Monday August 30, Dr. Flomo warmed people who have already taken the AstraZeneca vaccine not to take the J&J vaccine.

“We want to inform our people that please don’t take the J&J vaccine if you have already taken the AstraZeneca because doing so will be very much dangerous for you,” he said. “But for those of you that have not taken the AstraZeneca vaccine you can now take the J&J; it’s good for all of us”.

The J&J vaccine is expected to be launch this Thursday September 2 at the Phebe Hospital with staff of the county health team, county officials headed by Superintendent Esther Walker, among others.

Dr. Flomo stressed the need for “protective actions by all citizens” as a means of stopping the spread of the disease with a call to “keep following all the proscribed health measures, even when you have taken the vaccine”. He then urged Liberians to stop listening to rumors and misinformation surrounding the vaccine

In other non-health related news …

The Prison Fellowship Liberia (PFL) in collaboration with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) has officially launched the Legal Aid Clinic in Gbarnga, Bong County. This initiative is aimed at accelerating access to justice, promote transparency and accountability in the country.

The project is being implemented in Montserrado, Margibi, Bong, Nimba, Grand Bassa and Maryland Counties.

Giving the overview of the project, Kabah M. Trawally, Project Management Consultant, Prison Fellowship Liberia (PFL) said the project will also be implemented in other parts of the country.

He pointed out that the fellowship’s human rights monitors will visit prisons, police depots and courtrooms in the counties purposely to ascertain cases for speedy adjudication.

According to him, PFL human rights monitors will work closely with the judiciary, the Liberia National Police and the Ministry of Justice to obtain accurate data on cases in the court, at the police station, and in the communities.

During the launching the project on August 26, Gbarnga Central Prison Superintendent, Dweh Tarwillie promised to always work with PFL monitors toward decongesting the prison.

Meanwhile, Bong County Superintendent, Esther Y. Walker thanked PFL and partners for their continual support to the Justice system, assuring that her office will work with group.