Motlhatlhedi Keneilwe, Bogatsu Yaone, Maotwe Koketso, Tsima Billy
Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Botswana, Maun.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2020 Jul 9;12(1):e1-e3. doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v12i1.2497.
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.
2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）是一种由目前被称为严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）引起的呼吸道疾病，该病毒最早在中国武汉被发现，现已蔓延至世界所有地区。在撰写本文时，全球已有超过510万人感染了该病毒。世界卫生组织估计，在疫情期间，非洲将有超过500万人需要住院治疗。预防该疾病的干预措施包括保持社交距离和全国范围的封锁，这些措施虽然必要，但不仅对许多人的经济状况产生了负面影响，也对初级保健，尤其是慢性病的管理产生了负面影响。在这种情况下，初级保健医生有机会继续学习、提供人道主义援助并提供所需的护理。社交媒体在这一迅速变化的背景下有着广阔的应用前景。
