• About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
VOPAM
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • World
  • Store
    • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My account
    • Wishlist
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • World
  • Store
    • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My account
    • Wishlist
No Result
View All Result
VOPAM
No Result
View All Result
Home Africa

Virus surge puts South African hospitals under severe strain

vopam by vopam
December 22, 2020
in Africa, News
2 min read
0
Virus surge puts South African hospitals under severe strain

South African private hospital operators have warned that they are facing severe capacity constraints due to a resurgence in coronavirus cases.

The COVID-19 pandemic first peaked in Africa’s most industrialized economy in late July before infections tailed off. The country is in the midst of a second wave of the disease that began shortly before the festive season — which sees millions of people traverse the country to holiday destinations and home towns and villages.

Netcare Ltd., Life Healthcare Group Holdings Ltd. and Mediclinic International Plc, the country’s three biggest private hospital groups, which had spare capacity in most areas during the initial surge, all said they were confronting bed shortages.

In four of South Africa’s most populous provinces, “we have noted a substantial resurgence in COVID-19 patients and the health-care system is under significant pressure,” said Charl van Loggerenberg, Life Healthcare’s general manager of emergency medicine. Intensive care and high-care units are “particularly under severe strain” in the KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Eastern Cape regions, he said.

Besides admitting more COVID-19 patients, the hospitals are also having to administer additional treatment.

“We are seeing a significantly higher demand for oxygenation of sick patients versus the first wave,” Netcare’s Chief Executive Officer Richard Friedland said in an emailed response to questions. “We have seen more cases in both the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, and expect to exceed the number of cases seen in the first wave in KwaZulu-Natal this week.”

Hotspot Cases

The number of cases in South Africa’s economic hub of Gauteng, which was already on the rise, is expected to spike when holiday makers return in early January, Friedland said.

All three companies are recruiting more nurses, temporarily relocating staff to hotspot areas and making contingency plans to convert additional wards to accommodate COVID-19 patients. Non-essential surgical cases are largely being postponed.

While South Africa has reported a spread of new SARS-CoV2 lineage with multiple spike mutations, the current wave is equally impacting South Africans using the country’s public healthcare system, according to Gerrit de Villiers, a group general manager at Mediclinic. At this stage, guidance regarding treatment of COVID-19 cases hasn’t changed, he said.

There have been 930,711 confirmed coronavirus infections in South Africa so far, and 24,907 people diagnosed with the disease have died, according to the Health Department.

Share this:

  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Related

Previous Post

Nigerian lending slows as battered economy dents demand

Next Post

EU clears Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for first inoculations

vopam

vopam

Related Posts

Sudan protests activist’s torture and killing
Africa

Sudan protests activist’s torture and killing

December 31, 2020
0
Year in Review: Breakdown of major talking points from the sports industry
Africa

Year in Review: Breakdown of major talking points from the sports industry

December 31, 2020
3
Prominent Ivory Coast opposition figure released from prison
Africa

Prominent Ivory Coast opposition figure released from prison

December 31, 2020
2
Crave for fried beetles grows in Zimbabwe’s countryside
Africa

Crave for fried beetles grows in Zimbabwe’s countryside

December 30, 2020
1
Nollywood actress Uche Jombo shares adorable video as she clocks 41
Africa

Nollywood actress Uche Jombo shares adorable video as she clocks 41

December 29, 2020
1
Burna Boy’s team threw first punch in brawl with Davido – Eyewitness
Africa

Burna Boy’s team threw first punch in brawl with Davido – Eyewitness

December 29, 2020
2
Africa waits for Biden to unlock, reallocate $200b of IMF reserves
Africa

Africa waits for Biden to unlock, reallocate $200b of IMF reserves

December 29, 2020
1
Ethiopia: Mekelle’s banks reopen for first time since Tigray war
Africa

Ethiopia: Mekelle’s banks reopen for first time since Tigray war

December 29, 2020
4
Next Post
EU clears Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for first inoculations

EU clears Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for first inoculations

How Hoima men are dodging defilement charges

How Hoima men are dodging defilement charges

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Stay Connected test

  • 79 Followers
  • 33k Followers
  • 56.2k Subscribers
  • 22.9k Followers
  • 99 Subscribers
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Football Players In Germany Go Naked In Artist Protest

Football Players In Germany Go Naked In Artist Protest

August 17, 2020
Mahama Will Be Free From Tracey Boakye’s Blackmail, Threats For Properties Soon — Gloria Kani [Video]

Mahama Will Be Free From Tracey Boakye’s Blackmail, Threats For Properties Soon — Gloria Kani [Video]

August 13, 2020
Nigerian Prophet TB Joshua Releases Prophecy For Donald Trump

Nigerian Prophet TB Joshua Releases Prophecy For Donald Trump

August 28, 2020
Police probe Argyll Ballet West school abuse allegations

Police probe Argyll Ballet West school abuse allegations

August 20, 2020
Sudan protests activist’s torture and killing

Sudan protests activist’s torture and killing

0
Agona East District records first COVID-19 case

Agona East District records first COVID-19 case

0
Adjust to live with novel coronavirus – Health Minister

Adjust to live with novel coronavirus – Health Minister

0
Hotel refuses accommodation to health workers over GH¢ 219,000 debt

Hotel refuses accommodation to health workers over GH¢ 219,000 debt

0
Sudan protests activist’s torture and killing

Sudan protests activist’s torture and killing

December 31, 2020
Year in Review: Breakdown of major talking points from the sports industry

Year in Review: Breakdown of major talking points from the sports industry

December 31, 2020
Prominent Ivory Coast opposition figure released from prison

Prominent Ivory Coast opposition figure released from prison

December 31, 2020
German health minister defends European solution to vaccine orders

German health minister defends European solution to vaccine orders

December 30, 2020

Recent News

Sudan protests activist’s torture and killing

Sudan protests activist’s torture and killing

December 31, 2020
0
Year in Review: Breakdown of major talking points from the sports industry

Year in Review: Breakdown of major talking points from the sports industry

December 31, 2020
3
Prominent Ivory Coast opposition figure released from prison

Prominent Ivory Coast opposition figure released from prison

December 31, 2020
2
German health minister defends European solution to vaccine orders

German health minister defends European solution to vaccine orders

December 30, 2020
3
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram
VOPAM

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa (752)
  • Business (482)
  • Entertainment (410)
  • Local News (351)
  • News (2,119)
  • Politics (383)
  • Sports (503)
  • uncategorized (70)
  • World (314)

Recent News

Sudan protests activist’s torture and killing

Sudan protests activist’s torture and killing

December 31, 2020
Year in Review: Breakdown of major talking points from the sports industry

Year in Review: Breakdown of major talking points from the sports industry

December 31, 2020

© 2020 Voice of Pan African Media. All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result

© 2020 Voice of Pan African Media. All Rights Reserved