Khayelitsha woman who tested positive in isolation as health ‘deteriorates’

A 25-year-old Khayelitsha woman who tested positive for Covid-19 has been moved to isolation.

The woman and her three-year-old daughter were moved from Khayelitsha Hospital at around 15.00am on Monday.

According to her cousin, the woman’s health was deteriorating, forcing the Western Cape Department of Health to transfer her.

The woman was tested on 18 March and her results came back positive on Saturday.

“She was then admitted at Khayelitsha Hospital together with her child on Saturday. Today, they have been moved to another place where they will be isolated.

“For now, her daughter’s results are still outstanding after showing symptoms of coronavirus and she is with her mother in isolation,” said the cousin.

The woman said her cousin complained to her on Saturday about ill-treatment at Khayelitsha Hospital.

“She told me that nurses and doctors had not attended to her and was not given food to eat. She was later given food in the afternoon. On Sunday, she was also given food later in the day and that continued again on Monday,” she said.

“We have raised concerns to medical practitioners about our worries regarding the patient’s daughter and doctors have done tests on her and we are awaiting her results.

“The child is currently with her mother in isolation and we are praying that they must heal quickly,” she said.

Department spokesperson Nomawethu Sbukwana confirmed the woman had been moved from Khayelitsha to a place of isolation on Monday afternoon.

Sbukwana said they are aware of a message circulating containing false information.

“The Khayelitsha patient has been receiving appropriate care as from Sunday and has had access to in-hospital facilities, including catering. This was a temporary measure while an appropriate isolation facility was being explored.

“The patient and the close contacts have been moved to an appropriate isolation facility earlier today, in accordance with the plan to do so, from the outset.

“The Western Cape government team managed the situation with the full support of MEC Dr Nomafrench Mbombo. Claims by the ANC in the province that they had to intervene to assist the patient are false and only serve to erode public trust in our health systems.

“We understand that many residents of Khayelitsha may be worried or afraid following yesterday’s announcement that the virus has reached their community. Our contact tracing team has already conducted follow-up and screenings of close contacts and have also done community screenings,” Sbukwana said.

Meanwhile, ANC’s Member of Legislature Rachel Windvogel earlier claimed that the Western Cape health authorities seemingly had no plan to place the patient under quarantine.

Windgovel said that the province only acted after Minister Zweli Mkhize was called to intervene.

Windgovel called on the Western Cape government to minimise the risk of more infections by urgently tracing and putting into isolation people who have been in contact with the 310 who tested positive for Covid-19 in the province.

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