Introduction

Coronavirus better known as COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic by the WHO, in South Africa alone confirmed reported cases has risen to above 1000 (see www.sacoronavirus.co.za for updates on confirmed cases). From COVID-19 being declared a national disaster in South Africa to entering a lock-down in South Africa, starting midnight 26 March 2020 for 21 days, a need was identified for healthcare workers to increase their knowledge on and management of COVID-19, therefore the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) has fast-tracked the development of a short online course.

FPD, a South African organization established in 1997 by the South African Medical Association has partnered with The Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA) to provide much needed financial support to make this programme free to a limited number of healthcare professionals. In this online course experts in the field discuss the spread of the virus, protection of self and others, management and treatment options and the public health perspective in containing the spread of the virus.

These talks were presented at the 1st South African COVID-19 Conference held on 24-25 February 2020 at the CSIR in Pretoria, with attendance by more than 250 Healthcare Professionals who obtained a free scholarship from Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA) and co-sponsored by Foundation for Professional Development (FPD).

The Conference was organised by FPD in collaboration with, South African Medical Association (SAMA), South African Public Health Medicine Association (SAPHMA) and University of Pretoria (UP).

We hope that this course will augment your current knowledge of COVID-19 and contribute to the overall containment of the pandemic in South Africa and globally.

Learning Outcomes

• Discuss and explain the relationship of the COVID-19 virus within the bigger family of coronaviruses
• Relate the dynamics of the early outbreak of COVID-19 infections in China to further spread of the virus throughout the world
• Explain the physics of airborne and droplet transmission and the role of infection control in limiting the spread and in containment of infectious diseases
• State the phases of a pandemic and list the appropriate responses
• Discuss the key activities required in surveillance of and containment of COVID-19 in South Africa
• Compare the different types of protective equipment focussing on N95 and surgical masks and their role and relative effectiveness in protection against COVID-19
• Demonstrate how to collect nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 testing
• Differentiate the different treatment modalities for mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 cases
• Describe the management of adverse events and identified high risk cases of COVID-19 infections
• Describe the indications for mechanical ventilation and explain the potential pitfalls pre-, during and post intubation
• Relate COVID-19 to other Influenza and coronavirus infections, compare it with ordinary “flu” and analyse and compare the lessons learnt from SARS and MERS

Sponsorship

This course is only accessible through means of a restrictive scholarship proudly provided by HWSETA

Who Should Enroll

All healthcare professionals registered in South Africa and registered and verified on the MPC portal.

Course Design

This is an eLearning course, content is presented in the format of video tuition presented by experts in the field.

Course Content

This course includes the following video topics:

Covid 19 What is the novel virus, epidemiology, outbreak in China, infectiousness/attack rate

Dr Terry Marshall
Clinical Virologist, Ampath

Aeriobiology and infection control of contact, droplet nuclei and airborne pathogens

Prof Anton Stoltz
Head of Department: Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pretoria

South African COVID preparedness and response activities

Dr Kerrigan McCarthy
Division of Public Health, Surveillance and Response Unit, NICD

Air travel on COVID 19

Dr Lesego Bogatsu
Senior Manager, SA Civil Aviation Society

Coronaviruses and what did we learn from other human coronaviruses including SARS and MERS

Dr Michael Boswell
Infectious Disease Specialist, Steve Biko Hospital, University of Pretoria

Personal protective equipment including (N95): Actions and Strategies to stop the spread of COVID-19

Ms Katekani Ngobeni
Infection Control Specialist, Senior Researcher, CSIR

How to clinically approach COVID 19 infected patients from mild to severe disease

Prof. Andreas Engelbrecht
Head: Emergency Medicine, University of Pretoria

Mechanical Ventilation in COVID-19

Prof. Andreas Engelbrecht
Head: Emergency Medicine, University of Pretoria

Assessment

Participants will be assessed by means of a multiple-choice questionnaire after viewing each video.

Accreditation

Accredited according to the HPCSA Medical and Dental Board Guidelines for Healthcare Professionals for 10 Clinical CEU’s on Level 2.

Contact

Tel: 087 821 1109 | Fax: 086 550 3692

Email: healthscience@foundation.co.za