While an infection prevention and control initiative improved COVID-19 infection rates for health care workers in Africa, ongoing challenges demonstrated the need for long-term investments in sustainable IPC programs. In BMJ Global Health, Resolve to Save Lives examines an infection prevention and control (IPC) initiative implemented in 22 African countries from April 2020 to January 2021. The initiative provided training, personal protective equipment (PPE) and ongoing supervision to over 42,000 frontline health care workers at 8,444 facilities. Despite achieving short-term improvements in IPC practices, suspected health care worker infections peaked at 41.5% during the pandemic’s first wave in July 2020. The study emphasizes that protecting health care workers requires comprehensive IPC programs, integrated training approaches, enhanced data systems, and sustained investment in PPE.
