State House, Freetown, Tuesday 14 November 2023 – His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has received two significant reports from The National COVID-19 Emergency Response Center, NaCOVERC, noting that his government’s well-informed measures and response to the global pandemic earned Sierra Leone the admiration of the world.
Dr. Amara Jambai, head of the delegation and Chairperson of NaCOVERC, conveyed his pleasure in informing the President about the completion of two crucial reports: the Intra-Action Review Report, IAR, and the National COVID-19 Report for the period 2020-2022.
The report details the findings of an IAR that was undertaken on the 22nd and 23rd September 2020, to review the COVID-19 response in Sierra Leone, focusing in particular on Surveillance, Laboratories, Case Management, Risk Communications, Food and Nutrition and National Coordination.
“Notably, the collective efforts of three strategic individuals—a military personnel, a finance expert, and a technical specialist—have been extraordinary. The seamless coordination between the military, police, and health authorities has set a precedent for other nations,” he said, noting that President Bio’s astute leadership had also guided the nation through uncharted waters.
Dr Jambai added that the inter-multi-sectoral approach, spearheaded by the presidential taskforce, had also provided crucial strategic direction, adding that as they reflected on the global impact of COVID-19, the approach remained pivotal.
In his remarks, President Julius Maada Bio extended his congratulations and appreciation to all involved for their resilience, collaboration and effective crisis management.
Drawing from his experience during the Ebola outbreak, the President also recognised the vital roles played by the police, healthcare workers, and Paramount Chiefs, emphasising the importance of their contributions.
It could be recalled that on 31st March 2020, Sierra Leone had its first confirmed case of COVID-19, becoming the last country in West Africa to do so. When it became inevitable that more cases were likely, the focus of the response shifted from prevention to delaying the spread.
As such, on 2nd April 2020, the Ministry of Health escalated its incident response to level 3, formally handing over lead response coordination role to the NaCOVERC, which was established to provide national coordination of the response, building upon the institutional memory of the Ebola response structures.
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