My Experience with the JIBU COVID-19 Course: Righton Zulu

My name is Righton Zulu, I work for Lusaka Eye Hospital in Zambia as an Optometrist. I had the privilege to enrol in the free COVID-19 course sponsored by Amref Health Africa I really found it helpful. As an Optometrist, I spend close to seven hours each day interacting with patients. My work, just like any other health worker requires me to examine the patients physically, eyes being my area of speciality, which means I get close enough to the main transmitter of the COVID-19 virus.

So educative and eye-opening it was to have learnt that any Healthcare facility can be an ideal setting for the transmission of infections as large numbers of people participate in the provision of patient care, thus increasing the risk of transmitting or acquiring infections to and from patients and amongst members of the healthcare team (nosocomial).

I also noted that patients have infections they can transmit to other patients and healthcare workers. Immune compromised patients are more susceptible to acquiring infections due to low and/or weak immunity and how infection prevention protocols help to reduce the risk of transmission.

The course has equipped me with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude on Infection Prevention and Control measures required to be prepared and ready to respond to the COVID-19 disease outbreaks positively. Limiting human to human transmission by way of implementing and abiding by world health organization recommended infection prevention control interventions and being able to identify, isolate and report suspect and confirmed cases is a lifetime mark this course has imprinted in my profession.

It is educative, beneficial and knowledge enriching for every health care worker from any part of the world who enrolls in the course. The knowledge and skills one can obtain from the course are too vital that they can help directly or indirectly save one’s life from the dreadful COVID-19 disease.