Nurses speak of infection rate in sector

According to the last Provincial Command Council briefing, the province has seen an increase in the number of infections among health care workers.
It was reported that 597 professionals have been infected in both public and private institutions thus far.
Of these, 307 are nurses and 37 are doctors.
Polokwane Observer spoke to healthcare workers in this regard.
Sharon Kgere says nurses have to endure much stress while on duty.
“Many nurses also assume that, because they are nurses, their chances of contracting the virus are low. One would think because we are nurses, we would take extra precaution when dealing with patients and each other.
Sufficient support is given to us by the department but some of us still need support from each other because the work we do here is overwhelming. Serving the community usually takes first priority and we often forget about ourselves.”
Tshiia Munayi says that the use of communal spaces influences the increase in numbers for healthcare professionals.
“When we are in the line of duty, we express the highest form of obedience to safety regulations but when we meet in the tea rooms it becomes difficult to stay away from each other. I think the move by the department to limit the amount of time we spend in communal spaces will help improve the statistics. As nurses we are the last line of defense against the virus it does not help that we end up geeing infected. It is just fortunate that we have not recorded any deaths in the province.”
Elsie Williams says the support offered is often the culprit when it comes to newly acquired infections.
“You would find that someone has been dealing with a heavy or painful situation and we try to support each other without realising that the person has been infected. This is often just human error and getting used to the circumstances we are currently living under.”

Story: Umpha Manenzhe