D R CONGO: Nobel Peace Prize laureate dumps covid-19 appointment.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr Denis Mukwege has resigned from his work as head of a local task force fighting against Covid-19 in the eastern DRC in frustration at the government’s response to the crisis. He said a lack of coordinated action had crippled his work.

Two months into his job as vice-president of a special health commission set up to fight Covid-19 in South Kivu province, Dr Mukwege took off on Wednesday, blaming organizational problems. His resignation from the special health commission could strike a blow to the entire national response team led by Dr Jean-Jacques Muyembe, another renowned medical researcher in DRC. The country has more than 4,515 cases of Covid-19, and new infections have risen sharply in 10 of the 26 provinces. At least 98 people have died. Sources from the national response team have acknowledged the resource shortage but have vowed that, as of next week, test results will be available in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, within 24 hours.