South Africa has reached surge of COVID-19: Health Minister
Johannesburg, Jul 9 () South Africa has now reached the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told the country's Parliament as the number of infections increased by over 10,000 daily for the preceding three days.
"We have now reached the surge. The storm that we have consistently warned South Africans about is now arriving," Mkhize said on Wednesday as he outlined plans to address the expected unprecedented pressure on private and public hospitals as well as the concerns about infections and deaths among health care workers.
"By now it is no longer a matter of announcing (daily) numbers of confirmed cases. We are now at a point where it's our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, close friend and comrade that is infected," the minister said.
South Africa has over 224,000 confirmed cases, and Gauteng province - home to Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria - has the country's most cases with over 75,000, or 33 per cent.
"As a country and the world at large, we are now in this reality where we must live with knowing that some of us cannot even bury our loved ones because of restrictions or even because we ourselves have been exposed.
"This pandemic that is attacking us globally, will cause some of us lifetime scars. It steals from us, from some lives, others jobs, others businesses. It spares no race, no gender or social class," Mkhize said as he listed the steps to be taken by government.
These included augmenting health system readiness by assessing it against the epidemiological curve, identifying gaps and planning to ensure health services availability according to need – focusing on the health workforce, beds, medicines, equipment and products;
There would also be enhanced screening capacity at key ports of entry.
Commenting on over 5,000 health care workers who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus across the country, Mkhize said about half of these were nurses and 377 were doctors.
"Several interventions have been put in place to address infections among health care workers," the minister said.
Mkhize also explained steps being taken to ensure that there was sufficient oxygen as the demand for it is increasing exponentially.
"As much as we look forward to an effective and safe vaccine, and to more effective therapies for COVID-19, current clinical management relies mainly on supportive measures, including the provision of oxygen.
"South Africa has a well-developed medical oxygen supply system, but careful planning and management will be needed to ensure that every patient who needs oxygen is able to access it," he said.
"The Department of Health is working with the Department of Trade and Industry and Competition to manufacture Continuous Positive Air Pressure devices called CPAP, for short. These are being procured on top of the 1,000 ventilators generously donated by the US government."
An audit was also being undertaken to identify the gaps that undermine the expanded supply of oxygen to patients.