Emergency Covid-19 hospital accepts first 10 patients in Cape Town’s e-commerce district

The emergency field hospital built in a high-tech e-commerce precinct in the Western Cape, has admitted its first 10 Covid-19 patients.

Brackengate lies just off the R300 highway in Cape Town, amid ultra-modern distribution centres for some of the retail sector’s biggest names.

And this is where the Western Cape government has now opened its latest “field hospital”.

“Our Brackengate temporary hospital accepted its first patients today, making it the province’s third field hospital to open.

Ten people were admitted to the 338 bed facility on Monday, with the first patients receiving a heartwarming welcome and round of applause from the hospital team at the door,” Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said.

The field hospital is rated as an “intermediate care facility” – which caters for people who cannot take care of themselves at their homes, but do not need full hospital treatment, including oxygen.

In a statement, Winde said the facility, much like the Cape Town International Convention Centre’s Hospital of Hope, is equipped with oxygen at each bed, and a further eight beds fitted for high flow nasal oxygen. It is also paperless and has wifi connectivity so patients can connect to their loved ones at home.

“We wish all of those who enter through its doors well, as they recover. We also extend our thanks to the many people including Health [MEC] Nomafrench Mbombo and [MEC] of Transport and Public Works Bonginkosi Madikizela, to the officials and the healthcare workers who have ensured that we have been able to provide healthcare services to the people of the Western Cape, with just a short time to prepare,” Winde said.

On July 3, Springbok rugby captain Siya Kolisi and his provincial colleagues from the Stormers met Winde at the hospital in a public show of support for the battle against Covid-19, where they helped carry hospital furniture into place.

Two days later, Winde began experiencing Covid-19 symptoms, and soon afterwards tested positive for the virus.

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