Physical Health Peru Project #45930

PIH's Emergency COVID-19 Response

by Partners In Health (PIH)

Project Report | Mar 8, 2022
Winter Update to PIH's COVID-19 response

By Aicha Belabbes | Annual Giving Coordinator

Thousands of vulnerable patients are about to breathe easier, thanks to a new oxygen plant installed by Socios En Salud and partners earlier this month.

More than 36,000 people requiring medical oxygen in the La Libertad region of Peru will benefit from the oxygen plant, which was installed at Belén Hospital by Socios En Salud, as Partners In Health is known in Peru, the Ministry of Health, USAID, and Build Health International.

The oxygen plant comes as COVID-19 cases in Peru surge amid the highly-contagious Omicron variant, which has brought the country’s total coronavirus-related deaths to 204,404 and total infections to more than 2.9 million, according to Reuters.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have fought to help close the oxygen gap,” said Dr. Leonid Lecca, executive director of Socios En Salud. “With this new oxygen plant…we ensure that more patients have access to timely and quality care.”

Oxygen is one of the last lines of defense against COVID-19, which attacks the respiratory system and, in its most severe form, requires intubation. Hospitals put patients on oxygen in hopes of preventing them from needing an ICU bed.

But the lifesaving resource is difficult to get—especially in Peru, where logistical challenges such as irregular access to electricity and the country’s electrical specifications stymied the supply chain for months.

Oxygen plants—which fit in standard-size shipping containers—are essential in oxygen production, because they enable hospitals to fill dozens of portable tanks each day. This onsite supply of concentrated, high-purity medical oxygen prevents health workers from having to travel to the nearest oxygen plant, sometimes hours away.

But oxygen plants are costly and cumbersome to install—making Socios En Salud’s efforts all the more critical.

The oxygen plant in La Libertad can produce 20,000 liters of oxygen per hour, strengthening the hospital’s response to COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases, such as pneumonia.

It’s the second that Socios En Salud has provided in partnership with USAID and the Ministry of Health. The first was installed in November at the San Martín Health Center in Iberia district, near the border with Brazil and Bolivia.

Socios En Salud has worked in Peru since 1994, where it responded to a deadly outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and ultimately changed World Health Organization policy, leading the WHO to revise its global treatment recommendations for the disease. In the decades since, Socios En Salud has continued to provide medical care and social support in Carabayllo and beyond, focusing on strengthening the country’s health system.

As part of those system-strengthening efforts, health workers at Belén Hospital will receive training on how to use and maintain the oxygen plant, which is Socios En Salud’s latest effort to boost oxygen capacity in Lima and beyond.

Since November, Socios En Salud has delivered more than 120 oxygen concentrators and 90 oxygen tanks to hospitals across Peru, as well as installed 260 oxygen outlets directly into hospital walls, beside patient beds.

Socios En Salud also established a temporary oxygen center in Carabayllo for patients with dangerously low oxygen levels. A second such center is planned to open later this month.

The COVID-19 pandemic persists.

As we enter the third year of the global public health emergency, the virus continues to mutate and spread in the absence of worldwide vaccination. Omicron, the latest highly contagious variant, has caused COVID-19 cases to skyrocket in many countries. In early 2022, a world record was set: more than 9.5 million new COVID-19 cases were reported within a week, according to the World Health Organization. In total, more than 5.5 million people have died from COVID-19 and more than 332 million cases have been reported. Hospitalizations–mostly among unvaccinated people–are rising too.

This has been a challenge for already strained hospitals and health care workers at Partners In Health (PIH) sites around the globe, including in Kazakhstan, Peru, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone, among others.

In Kazakhstan–where the president called for a two-week state of emergency on January 5 following political unrest and violence–clinicians are seeing a surge in cases, which the country’s ministry of health has attributed to the Omicron variant. In addition, the Delta variant is still present more than a year since it was first detected globally.

In Peru, the rate of infected people doubled last week compared to the previous week. PIH-supported facilities in the country have seen a rise in infections and hospitalizations, mostly among those who are not fully vaccinated. Compared to most countries, Peru is ahead of the curve with vaccination: about 80% of people have received two doses and 14% received a booster.

Rwanda is not far behind. As of January 9, about 60% of the population have received two doses. Unlike many sites, PIH-supported facilities in Rwanda have not seen an increase in hospitalizations. However, they are still experiencing a fourth wave of COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant. While cases have been mild or asymptomatic, there are still many people at risk who have yet to be vaccinated.

Although the Omicron surge is flattening across many parts of Africa, the impact of the variant continues to be felt in countries such as Sierra Leone. The surge affected many PIH staff members, who were unable to go to work during the holiday season, which put additional stress on service delivery. In communities across Kono District in the east, the spread of COVID-19 has mostly gone undetected due to a widespread shortage of tests. Most of the reported cases have been among inbound and outbound international travelers. There is a significant need for more tests and vaccines. Less than 4% of the population is vaccinated and less than 0.1% has received a booster shot.

Recently, PIH experts and fellow researchers published a report that highlighted the need for more mRNA vaccines–22 billion, to be exact, which they estimate is the number that must be manufactured and administered to control COVID-19 globally. Meanwhile, clinicians continue to build health systems by focusing on the vital 5 S’s–staff, stuff, space, systems, and social support–which are needed to respond to emergencies and provide lifesaving health care now–and beyond the pandemic.

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Nov 8, 2021
November Update: PIH's Emergency COVID-19 Response

By Binh Ha | Annual Giving Coordinator

Dear Friends,

First and foremost, thank you so much for your generous support of PIH’s Emergency COVID-19 Response. Your solidarity with our staff and patients helps us continue to respond to the pandemic in four different continents and bring quality care to so many people in need of health care and hope.

Since March 2020, PIH has led targeted interventions in the United States and across the globe to respond to urgent needs, such as training contact tracers and providing stocks of PPE and rapid tests, while also strengthening health systems so that they can better respond to future pandemics. Alongside our partners, PIH will continue to save lives, positively change the course of the pandemic globally, demonstrate what aggressive action can achieve, and ensure a healthier future for all. This important work is only possible because of contributions and support by dedicated supporters like yourself.

As COVID-19 remains a threat worldwide, lifesaving vaccines continue to be inaccessible for the majority of the world’s population—including Indigenous communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. PIH in Mexico calls for vaccine campaigns to address the needs of Indigenous peoples in these regions. By August, 17% of Mexicans had been fully vaccinated, and 26 million had been given at least one dose. Across the country, 91 million people are still waiting for vaccines, even as the third wave of the pandemic triggers a surge of new cases in several areas.

Dr. Popoca conducts a consultation with a patient in the Respiratory Disease Center, Susana, from Jaltenango. She had tested negative for COVID-19 but had respiratory symptoms.

During COVID-19, Compañeros En Salud which is known as PIH in Mexico rapidly mobilized to respond to a pandemic that has devastated millions worldwide. We have been providing the PIH-supported community hospital in Jaltenango with training, resources, and staff; implementing strict infection and prevention control measures; and opening a brand new, seven-bed Respiratory Disease Center for patients with severe COVID-19, in an area where such facilities are extremely rare.

Miguel is currently the only paramedic for the hospital in Jaltenango, which is supported by Compañeros En Salud. Photo by Caitlin/ Partners In Health.

In Peru, where has the highest COVID-19 deaths per capita in the world, the pandemic continues to devastate communities across Peru. Socios En Salud—as PIH is known locally—has delivered more than 120 oxygen concentrators and 90 oxygen tanks to hospitals nationwide, as well as installed 260 oxygen outlets directly into hospital walls, beside patient beds.

Socios En Salud staff, including Marco, participate in a training on the installation and maintenance of oxygen equipment, held at a health center in Comas and organized by the Center for Global Health. Photo by Fernando/ PIH.

“Oxygen concentrators are a huge help in caring for patients with respiratory difficulties and prevent them from landing in an ICU bed,” Dr. Muñoz, a physician at the oxygen center. “With this technology, we can save the lives of thousands of people.”

During these difficult times, we must stand in solidarity and act together now, more than ever, as the virus continues to spread globally, new variants emerge, and vaccines remain out of reach to millions. We are part of a global community. Until everyone is protected, no one is protected.

Last but not least, we are so thankful for all of your tremendous support and your commitment to our mission that enable us to provide equitable health care and urgent support to the poor and the marginalized around the world. We wish you all the best, and thanks again for your partnership!

In solidarity,

Partners In Health

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Jul 13, 2021
July Update: PIH's Emergency COVID-19 Response

By Hannah Garside | Annual Giving Coordinator

A COVID-19 ICU in Rwanda

The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over yet.

Although some businesses have re-opened and restrictions have loosened in the United States and Europe, a third wave of infections is affecting countries around the globe, including ones where Partners In Health (PIH) works.

The most recent wave, which is when there is a surge in the number of cases over a period of time in a particular region, has been documented in Haiti, Lesotho, and Sierra Leone, among other countries. While there are many factors that contribute to waves, one currently is the emergence of virus variants, such as the highly contagious Delta variant identified in 92 countries, as of June 21. First detected in India in October 2020, the variant continues to spread.

PIH’s approach to building strong health systems and responding to emergencies relies on the five S’s: staff, stuff, space, systems, and social support. In Haiti, a lack of “stuff,” namely vaccines, has had a significant impact on the country’s 11.5 million residents. As of June 30, COVID-19 vaccines have yet to become publicly available in the Caribbean nation. Additionally, “space” has posed a challenge, as some hospitals have reached their limit on the number of COVID-19 patients they can accommodate. Within the the network of hospitals and clinics supported by Zanmi Lasante, PIH’s sister organization in Haiti, there are 73 beds—33 of which were occupied, as of June 28— for COVID-19 patients at Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais and Hôpital Sainte-Thérèse in Hinche, which are the only two ZL-supported facilities providing direct care to patients with COVID-19.

Across Africa, COVID-19 cases are surging by 20% on a weekly basis and are quickly approaching numbers documented during the peak of the first wave in July 2020. In Lesotho, where an influx of people are crossing the border from neighboring South Africa—which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases on the continent, cases are rising and particularly affecting Leribe and Butha-Buthe districts, which are supported by the country’s national health reform, and Maseru district, where the central office is based. In response to the current wave, PIH Lesotho continues to supply oxygen to hospitals; provide logistical support to transport vaccines and health care providers throughout the country; run a mental health and staff wellness program to help health care workers cope with COVID-related stress; and get more rapid antigen test kits, in addition to the 10,000 they recently donated to Lesotho’s Ministry of Health.

In Sierra Leone, COVID-19 cases are increasing and are at their highest since the beginning of the pandemic. There is a significant need to increase surveillance, prevention, and case management. As PIH Sierra Leone responds to the current wave, the team is focused on treating patients and providing social support, as they prepare for anticipated challenges, including oxygen and ICU bed shortages. Amid the third wave, new restrictions including a curfew, suspended religious ceremonies, and limited occupancy on social gatherings, were announced on July 1.

The number of COVID-19 cases, and the resulting death toll, will only continue to rise in countries unable to properly prevent the virus’ spread, care for and support the sick, and conduct comprehensive vaccination campaigns. PIH continues to advocate for equitable global COVID-19 vaccination distribution, especially considering only 0.9% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine compared to 45% of people in high-income countries.

At PIH, we believe that no one is safe from COVID-19 until everyone is safe.

Jacqueline, a COVID-19 lab technician

Patient receiving oxygen in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Felix, a COVID-19 survivor in Carabayllo, Peru

Community Clinic in Chiapas, Mexico

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