Saturday, January 30, 2021

COVID-19 is real: How health personnel manage their safety


Health personnel in PPEs

The first human cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19, subsequently named SARS-CoV-2 was first reported by officials in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019.

When Cameroon received its first case in March 2019, there was a lot of panic among the population and a rise in misinformation. The  barrier measures were strictly respected then than as at now.

The people who are at the forefront to fight COVID-19 are health personnel and the auxiliary staff who are open to infections. According to Dr. Nsame Denis, the Director of the Regional Hospital Bamenda during the traditional Wednesday Coordination meeting he enjoined all healthcare providers to be more vigilant for the Corona virus is still much around. He indicated that all barrier measures must be respected to minimize the infection rate. According to Dr. Nsame all health personnel have carried out their COVID-19 testing even right down to student nurses and doctors on internship to make sure that their status are known before they are sent to the wards where they will serve.

At the entrance to the Regional hospital is a triage where rapid COVID-19 test are done for everybody who request for it.

Screening boot at the entrance 

Mr. Teteh Kingsley is Senior nurse and internal medicine coordinator at the Regional Hospital Bamenda incharge of the solidarity ward which harbours the isolation rooms for COVID-19. Quizzed about the safety measures him and his team take he says " the first thing we do when we get here is get into our scrubs while keeping aside all other clothing we came with, compulsory wearing of facemask, that is to say all our Personal Protective Equipment PPEs are at work. We equally have a nursing working space which is for the nurses and we can view a patient in the isolation room from this station because it is demarcated by glass so we can view through. Once a nurse or Doctor walks into that room from the nursing station, they don't come back through that same door they pass through another exit door, get decontaminated before they move in. During his or her stay with the patient, they have no writing material. There is someone outside who takes down whatever history is gotten from the patient. At the end of the day we have to remove whatever we used at the center and get into out home attires before going home so as not to infect others when we leave".



Nurse at the solidarity center 

The customer service at the Regional Hospital is headed by Mrs Morikang Caroline who has as duty to walk round the wards and make sure that customers are well catered for. She holds that in doing so she too can be exposed to infections because she goes in close contacts with patients. To her she has her facemask on before even getting to her job site and while on sit, she puts on her white rub, when she finishes from her ward rounds, she comes back to her office, takes off her rub and  sanitizes her hands.

Talking to Mr. Nforgwei Jones chief of ambulance driver at the Hospital,  he says that he works in a unit where they have to transport people at any given time so he makes sure that he has his gloves, mask, sanitizer and disposable gowns in the car so that he protects himself. He equally noted that at some point there are emergencies that will warrant prompt action and there will be no time to wear a glove in such an instance Mr. Jones says he will carry out the safety operations for the patient and as soon as he gets back, he washes his hands and sanitizes them.


Hand washing top at the main entrance to the Regional Hospital Bamenda 

All these measures cited above are part of the many measures including social distancing which since the outbreak of COVID-19 have been echoed by governments to respect. On January 23, Cameroon's health Minister Dr. Manaouda Malachie tweeted 


Cameroons Minister of Public health's tweet

"We have just recorded 07 deaths in one week and witnessed a rise in contaminations, especially in the Littoral, Centre and North Regions, representing 1607 new cases in just one week”. It is therefore a clarion call for each and every family to respect strictly all measures put in place to protect themselves and loved ones.

By Amambo Carrey-Pride

Monday, January 25, 2021

UB Journalism Students Equipped With Skills To Fight Fake News, Hate Speech Online


Cross section of UB Final year students during the session

Final year students of the department of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) in the University of Buea (UB) have been drilled on the technics of spotting and countering fake news, misinformation, disinformation, ‘malinformation’ and hate speech on social media.

The capacity building workshop Thursday 21 January 2021 was organised by members of the Africa Fact-checking Fellowship (AFF) Cameroon under defyhatenow – a hate speech mitigation organization. 

As explained by Doh Bertrand Nua, Yaounde-based AFFCameroon fellow who doubles as a facilitator, the special meet-up, primarily aimed at training students who will soon join the job market on the dangers of spreading misinformation which appears to be a new trend on social media.

Group Picture of fellows and some participants 

“The journalism profession seems to be facing a lot of challenges these days with the advent of social media. Just anyone can film, take photos, write and publish just anything in the name of journalism. This contributes to the spread of misinformation, disinformation and ‘malinformation’," Doh explained.

He added that the choice of final year journalism students was strategic and motivated by the fact that they do offer a course titled “Online Journalism” which gives them ideas on blogging and other web related journalism practice. 

“We therefore thought it was wise to share ideas with these final year students on the challenges currently faced in the field in order for them not to fall into the same trap like others and avoid running into trouble with their social media outings of publications on the web in the quest to have their sites or social pages become popular through sensationalism and spread of fake,” he added.

Bambot Valentine and Shing Timothy, two other Buea-based members of the team schooled the students on the dangers of spreading hate, how to identify it as well as basic skills on fact-checking and how to counter hate language, encourage peace within their communities among others. 

The trainers explained that their sole objective and that of defyhatenow is to have a hate-free Cameroon. They challenged the students to be peace ambassadors in their community and always strive to be different from other social media users by ensuring what they write or publish online is verified.

Final students press for Peace by defying Hate

Speaking on behalf of his mates, Eyong Eta, president of the Association of Student Journalists in UB, ASJUB, hailed the initiative of former students coming back to contribute to the growth of the department by sharing their experience with the younger generation.

He and his mates promised to extend the knowledge acquired to others within the department and to their communities as well as create a difference once in the job market.

Pedmia Shatu

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Social Media: Psychosocial Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic



The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused several disruptions in personal and collective lives worldwide. The uncertainties surrounding the pandemic have also led to multi-faceted mental health concerns, which can be exacerbated with precautionary measures such as social distancing and self-quarantining, as well as societal impacts such as economic downturn and job loss.

Despite noting this as a “mental health tsunami,” the psychological effects of the COVID-19 crisis remains unexplored at scale. Consequently, public health stakeholders are currently limited in identifying ways to provide timely and tailored support during these circumstances. The psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 crisis by using social media data from 2020, finding that people’s mental health symptomatic and support expressions significantly increased during the COVID-19 period as compared to similar data from 2019. However, this effect gradually lessened over time, suggesting that people adapted to the circumstances and their “new normal”. 

Most people have resorted to purchasing and online businesses which has in some cases gotten them disappointed. Eleanor Kebua is a young Cameroonian based in Douala who decided to buy online and get the good delivered to her home to respect all barrier measures to survive COVID-19.  Upon delivery,  Eleanor laments that the goods she received was not quite what she ordered for. She had no choice than to remain with the fabric. Like Eleanor, Sandrine Nahnyounga requested for a dress online and when it was delivered, she posted on her social Media Handle what I ordered vs what I got. Lamenting that it didn't meet her expectation. Never the less other have hard luck in their purchase and delivery.

Sandrine's order which got her disappointed 

More so,  the pandemic has cancelled trips and traveling opportunities and conferences and has seen a rise in the holding of virtual meetings. The use of the social media has risen as most people have resorted to using their phones and internet for longer hours than they use to do. With this use has equally come a rise in misinformation. 

Talking to Ngala Desmond country Director for Defyhatenow a youth led organization which fights against Hatespeech, fake news, misinformation gets, who holds that users must be cautious with what they receive online and every surfer must develop a Fact-Checkers mindset. 


Ngala Desmond, Defyhatenow Cameroon 

Once they receive any information,  it is important that they verify before sharing, look out for forwarded as received messages, check and double check the sources before they go on to share, Ngala added. He furthered that if all surfers and pay just such attention then the internet would be a safe space for us all.

By Amamboh Carrey-Pride