Since the first COVID-19 positive case was reported in Somalia, health facilities in the country have responded to the pandemic by providing medical care to those seriously ill, as well as working hard to set up preventive measures against the spread of the virus, such as temperature checks and handwashing stations at entrances, put up triage systems to ensure suspected cases are quickly isolated, and passing essential information to the community.

In the last weeks, a downward trend in positive COVID-19 cases has been observed. In an interview, Dr. Ahmed Mohamed, director of Keysaney Hospital in Mogadishu is encouraging the community to continue observing preventive measures to protect themselves and those around them despite the decrease in the number of positive cases. He advises all community members to visit a health facility if one experiences COVID-19 symptoms such as headache, fever, loss of breath and lack of smell or taste.

Keysaney hospital is one of the two ICRC-supported surgical referral hospitals in Mogadishu which is has been run by the Somali Red Crescent (SRCS).

To curb the spread of the virus, the SRCS and the ICRC have been working together to deliver prevention messages and assistance to communities.