Zweli Mkhize visits Cecilia Makiwane Hospital. Picture: Twitter
The total number of tests conducted to date was at 126,937, of which 5,427 were done in the past 24 hours.
The provincial breakdown saw Gauteng reach nearly 1,200 cases. There was no update on deaths, leaving the total at 58 for now.
Dept of health
Provincial breakdown
Mkhize said he was pleased by what he was seeing at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital.
The facility is a large government hospital in the Mdantsane township.
He said he was there to “encourage the team” in the Eastern Cape and to celebrate the partnerships being forged in fighting Covid-19.
Renovations were under way in the old hospital wing to build new isolation wards for people who will presumably be suffering from Covid-19 in future.
In a statement he said: “Today we visited the Eastern Cape where we have observed a rapid rise in the number of confirmed cases and this raised a concern. The biggest risk of spread that has been identified is the cultural practices occurring at funerals. We engaged with the provincial executive led by Premier Oscar Mabuyane together with the Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba.
“We immediately took a decision to urgently deploy more medical experts including senior epidemiologists, analysts and field consultants to reinforce the provincial team, led by Dr Kerrigan McCarthy from the NICD. We are also pleased that the World Health Organisation has assisted us by deploying more clinicians and experts.
“We have also deployed senior officials from the National Department of Health to do a proper audit of the available personal protective equipment and other requirements. This is to ensure the safety and adequate protection of our health workers who are at the forefront. We reiterate that no health worker should be exposed to the risk of infection. They must all be adequately trained on the infection prevention and control (IPC) and be protected at all times.”
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