Funeralgoers, wedding guests, family gatherings and residents returning from other provinces significantly contribute to the provincial Covid-19 load, and cases are expected to continue to rise.
This is according to Health MEC, Phophi Ramathuba, who spoke to Polokwane Observer about the province’s current Covid-19 management strategy.
“We still expect a significant increase. The new variant is more infectious than what we experienced during the first wave.”
The good news, she said, points to the recovery rate.
“Our infection rate sits at 3,1% of the national accumulative and our provincial recovery rate is above 90%, compared to national rate of 78%.”
She is adamant that citizens must rethink their cultural customs in order to bring down the infection rate.
“As infections rise, more funerals are held. The bulk of new infections comes from those who attend these funerals, and the cycle starts all over. Yes, it is in our culture to support each other during funerals, but the only way to properly support someone during this time would be to do it from a distance. We ask that only immediate family members attend funerals. It is the only way we will see the numbers go down.”
She also mentioned an increase in weddings witnessed in December, which she said further contributed to the infection surge.
She said residents should persist in practicing preventative measures: “We must continue to sanitise our hands, maintain a social distance and wear face masks to limit the infection rate.”
State of public institutions
The department has set aside 7 000 beds in institutions across the province for Covid-19 patients and the MEC is confident that there is no shortage of beds.
“If we do run out of beds at one institution, a patient will be transferred to the next available institution. Should a person not want to be moved, he or she will have to sign a refusal of hospital treatment form as help was offered to them.”
She says a comprehensive plan was made during the first wave on infections to ensure the control of beds.
“The public health system caters for 91% of the population and the private sector for the remainder. We do not have field hospitals in our parking lots because there is no need.
She also commented on the timeline of the new Covid-19 variant, saying as in the first wave, only people with comorbidities such as chronic illnesses should required hospitalisation and ventilators.
“The incubation period is seven days and one should be cleared of the virus after 10 days of isolation.”
State of private institutions
MC Botha, the Hospital Manager at Limpopo Mediclinic, says the hospital is allocating its current facilities and capacity in treating Covid-19 patients.
“Our hospital is busy and full. All our resources are being used to maximum capacity. As levels become critical, we have good days and bad days.”
Amid the pandemic, Botha says the hospital continues to care for other patients too.
“We provide services to all our patients but we truly hope the pandemic does not get worse. We ensured to allocate all the resources to our disposal. At this stage we are using all the beds and facilities we have in order to increase capacity.”
Certain wards, he said, have been converted into Covid-19 wards, and the hospital ensured psychological support to staff. The support from the community has been helpful, Botha added, with ordinary citizens organising prayer sessions outside the hospital.
“It is vital during this time that we all be there for each other, something which is evident at Limpopo Mediclinic. We truly hope that, as predicted, that next week will be the hardest one and that things will get better from there as these are challenging circumstances for all stakeholders in the hospital.”
Fabion Bennet, Hospital Manager at Netcare Pholoso, shared these sentiments.
He said the institution is doing everything possible to boost its resources to ensure safe care for patients.
“We put up a temporary clinical unit as a field hospital to create additional bed capacity for emergency patients as healthcare resources are under strain in terms of hospital admissions. The field hospital has 80 additional beds, and we have complemented our oxygen supply with an additional 20 tons. This brings the oxygen supply at the hospital to 42 tons. The tanks are refilled daily and ensure that we are able to supply all our patients with oxygen as and when needed.”
The hospital has commissioned a team of social workers to offer psychological services to frontline workers, he added. “Staff have access to employee wellness services though virtual and face-to-face contact, as these are trying times.”
Declaration of positive cases
With social media abuzz over what constitutes a Covid-19 death, the MEC clarified: If a person died from Covid-19, then the virus must have played a role in their death, but just because it was in their system does not mean their death could be ruled as a Covid-19 death.
“This is different to those who die from comorbidities. As much as a patient had cancer, chances are that the virus accelerated their death which would then be classified as a Covid-19 death. The rule of thumb is to determine whether the virus affected the person’s lifeline or not. “We have had cases where people passed on in hospital because they were sick and the post-mortem results showed traces of the virus. These are declared Covid-19 deaths as, had it not been for the virus, the person would still be fighting for their life.”
Youth/child infections
The infection rate among youths is high, while children younger than 10 have also been infected, according to the MEC.
“Even though these infections rarely lead to deaths, these groups to a large extent infect older people. Contact tracing has shown that innocent family gatherings and visits contribute significantly to our numbers. Stay at home in this time, and do not be afraid of sending people away if they come to visit unannounced.”
Funeral service providers
To say the industry is busy is an understatement, Munei Mukwevho of MMK Administrators told Polokwane Observer.
“The number of deaths has forced us to adjust our approach. The pandemic has necessitated us to, due to sheer numbers, do burials during the week and break the traditional norm of hosting funerals only on weekends.”
He described the first Covid-19 wave as “subtle and manageable” saying this time around, “the number of bodies to be collected has risen significantly”.
“We also adjusted our service offerings to keep providing the service they promise to clients. Being able to manufacture our own tombstones has been a game changer as we can now manufacture the tombstones as and when they are needed.”
Coffin suppliers have been consistent and maintain good supply, he confirmed.
The Branch Manager at Avbob Funeral Services, Sanet de Beer says the biggest challenge they face is the timespan between deaths.
“Time is sometimes a challenge. We need to make sure we offer our services to all our clients in a short space of time. It is just fortunate that we do have the manpower and the resources to accomplish this.”
According to De Beer, they perform compulsory testing on every body that is collected from a house to prevent the further spread of the virus.
“Bodies are handled according to a set procedure, and we don’t compromise on this,” she said.
