DA Gauteng spokesperson on health Jack Bloom has warned that the province should brace itself for “mass burials” in the coming months as the province begins to experience a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases.
Bloom was reacting to the latest figures of the pandemic in the province with more than 3 000 confirmed cases per day in the past week.
“Preparations need to be made for possible mass burials with safety precautions against infection from those who have died from Covid-19,” said Bloom.
Bloom said all hospitals are under huge strain and strenuous efforts need to be made to prevent cross-infection.
“Many wards are full with patients under investigation (PUIs) as they wait for test results. I am worried that we may not have enough oxygen supply as this is crucial for patients’ survival.”
Netcare said in a statement on Friday: “We can understand that the public is concerned about hospital capacity, given the recent surge in Covud-19 cases as well as some fake news circulating on social media that certain hospitals have been closed and that patients are being turned away from some emergency departments,” said Jacques du Plessis, managing director of Netcare’s hospital division.
However, Du Plessis confirmed that their hospitals were experiencing a significant increase in demand for the treatment of Covid-19 patients, particularly in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng.
“We currently have capacity in our hospitals for both Covid-19 and other patients in our critical care units and general wards. It should be noted that not all patients admitted with Covid-19 or as persons under investigation (PUIs) for Covid-19 require care in critical care units, ventilation or oxygen.
“The situation remains extremely fluid and we expect demand to escalate further in the coming weeks. We are therefore continuously assessing the demand for hospitalisation of Covid-19 patients, PUIs and other patients in order to manage resources effectively in a rapidly changing world.”
Gauteng Health MEC spokesperson Kwara Kekana said the current surge was expected and the numbers will continue to rise as we move towards the peak period.
“The focus has been to increase capacity in our hospitals, engagements have commenced with the National Government and the SANDF on the setting up of field hospitals,” she said.
Kekana said the province has prepared centres for the vulnerable people (aged, children and those suffering from chronic diseases) who can’t self-isolate.
“Gauteng has four dedicated quarantine or isolation facilities that are fully operational to accommodate those who need to quarantine or isolate and are not able to do so at home.”
On Thursday the Provincial Coronavirus Command Council said during its weekly update that it was consulting with various sectors about the need to reinstate some of the drastic measures that will ensure that the pandemic is contained.