ReliefWeb

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Lesotho — COVID-19

And an update from the ground in Lesotho on what our UN team, led by acting Resident Coordinator Anurita Bains, is doing to address the pandemic. The team says that, since last month, COVID-19 cases and deaths have increased [by] 100 per cent in Lesotho, with a severe second wave currently stressing health‑care systems and livelihoods. Movements and economic restrictions are making the delivery of our essential programmes challenging. We’ve assisted all of the country’s 193 health facilities to maintain essential services, including maternal health for nearly 200,000 women, as well as HIV support and vaccinations for more than 22,000 children. We have trained more than 13,000 community health workers to respond to the pandemic. More than 360,000 people have benefitted from improved access to water and sanitation, with the UN having built nearly 170 permanent handwashing stations. More than 160,000 people, including returning migrants, have received cash transfers to cushion the impact of the crisis. We also supported three new apps to monitor community cases of the virus, and also to report domestic violence, and an e-market platform for smallholder farmers.