Covid-19: Gauteng Health gives update on Covid-19 measures

Gauteng Health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku gave the province an update on the province’s measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.

He presented this during the Gauteng Government’s update on the province’s response to Covid-19.

The @GautengProvince Executive briefing media on the efforts by Gauteng thus far in dealing with COVID-19 https://t.co/EJiHonfglJ

— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) March 25, 2020

Masuku said that it was previously announced that measures imposed included a restriction on visiting hours at Gauteng Health’s facilities. All annual events such as the scheduled TB celebrations have also been cancelled.

“If you do not have a medical emergency, we expect people to stay at home,” Masuku said.

Also read: Covid-19: The 21-day lockdown in SA and you

Masuku added that hospitals, including Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital have set up temporary tents outside casualty departments that will serve as a triage areas for patients who present flu-like symptons.

“Dispensing of chronic medication was increased to six months and because we are in a phase of containment, we also increased our capacity to make tracing easier,” said Masuku.

“We have 1 300 tracers who have been trained to use the Mplio app to conduct a self-screening test and we continue to increase the number of tracers.

“Because Joburg has a high number of cases, we have teams in Joburg to make contact with those who have been in contact [with Covid19].

“We are experiencing a problem with tests conducted at private labs as the documents for the tests do not always contain all the contact details.

“The private sector has made 200 beds available to us to assist.

“Gauteng is fortunate that we do not have that many cases that call for hospitalisation.

“We only have five at the moment, and two of these patients have been discharged from ICU.

“Most of our people are self-isolating.

“It’s important that people shouldn’t travel outside the province.

“Stay home, use lockdown to improve the rate of contact tracing and reduce the rate of transmission.”

Gauteng Premier, David Makhuru urged people planning on leaving the province before the lockdown commences, to not do so.

“People are trying to leave the province before the lockdown starts. They think it is better to be in their home towns. The real risk stems from the fact that 44 per cent of the people in Gauteng were not born here. We are saying to them, the lockdown is to help the entire nation contain the pandemic. Do not leave province.”

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