People who tested positive for Covid-19 are not critical, says Mkhize

None of the patients who tested positive for Covid-19 are in intensive care or critical, and were rather admitted to hospitals to undergo assessments, says the Health Department.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said patients were admitted to hospitals after testing because they needed to undergo assessments. On Friday morning, the number of confirmed cases in the country climbed to 202, with seven new reported ones in the Free State.

Speaking at a briefing in Bloemfontein, Mkhize said most of the patients had mild symptoms, although there was one who had an underlying renal disease.

“We do not have anyone who is in a critical state as we speak now.”

Symptoms

He added the department would continue to ensure those patients showing mild symptoms were treated speedily and discharged to avoid overcrowding in hospitals. Additional beds are being procured for hospitals to avoid shortages in case more patients are admitted.

Mkhize said the government was engaging with the private sector to look into making beds available in private hospitals if they were needed in the future. He added the department was doing its best to limit the negative impact of the pandemic.

“Right now, we have 200 people, none of them require intensive care, none of them are serious but we are watching them so that we can ensure they get better.”

Mkhize said while most of the tests done so far were in the private sector, the department was working closely with private laboratories to ensure the mode of communication was streamlined.

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