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. 2020 Jul 9;12(1):e1-e3.
doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v12i1.2497.

Coronavirus disease 2019 in Botswana: Contributions from family physicians

Keneilwe Motlhatlhedi  1 , Yaone Bogatsu, Koketso Maotwe, Billy Tsima
Affiliations

Coronavirus disease 2019 in Botswana: Contributions from family physicians

Keneilwe Motlhatlhedi et al. Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. .

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the respiratory disease caused by the virus now called as SARS-CoV-2 and first identified in Wuhan, China, has spread to all regions of the world. At the time of this write-up, over 5.1 million people had been infected by the virus globally. The World Health Organization estimates that in Africa over 5 million people would need hospital admission during the course of the pandemic. Interventions to prevent the disease include social distancing and nationwide lockdowns, which, whilst necessary, have had negative effects not only on the economic status of many but also on primary care and especially the management of chronic illnesses. There are opportunities for primary care physicians to continue learning, lend humanitarian aid and provide the needed care in this context. Social media has promising applications in this rapidly changing context.

Keywords: Botswana; COVID-19; contributions; family medicine; primary care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Patient flow diagram from a facility in the North-West District: (a) Pre-COVID-19, (b) Post- COVID-19.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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