IPC is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread the virus, the WHO says. Practicing the basic its principles ‘will not only reduce transmission of COVID-19 but save lives,’ Ofrin said. IPC interventions consist of actions such as hand washing, physical distancing and respiratory hygiene.

So far Timor-Leste has prevented the spread of the virus among the population. But the pandemic is far from over. ‘As cases continue to rise globally, Timor-Leste remains at risk,’ said Rajesh Pandav, WHO Representative to Timor-Leste.

The new course called ‘Prevensaun no Kontrole Infesaun (PKI) ba Vírus COVID-19’ is the fourth course about the corona-virus to be made available in Tetum, and can be accessed here: https://openwho.org/courses/COVID-19-IPC-TET. It has been designed by IPC experts from around the world working in both high and low-income settings. The English version can be accessed here: https://openwho.org/courses/COVID-19-IPC-EN.

OpenWHO courses are offered for free to anyone who registers with their email address: www.openwho.org. The courses are self-paced, meaning one can take as much time as needed to complete a course. OpenWHO is also available on mobile phones. For android devices use the link here and for apple devices use this link to download and install the applications.

OpenWHO was launched in 2017. It is the WHO’s first interactive online knowledge-transfer platform introducing open online courses on health emergency response. Currently, the platform has nearly 3.7 million course enrollments.