The World Health Organisation (WHO) has agreed to send reinforcements to support South Africa’s Covid-19 response.
Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, hosted a health briefing update on 5 August and announced support from the WHO, who has agreed to the South African government’s request for reinforcement as the country continues their Covid-19 response. South Africa has the highest Covid-19 case prevalence in the African continent and is the fifth highest in the world.
The 43 senior experts and known specialists will land in our waters soon. Specialists from the WHO such as Dr David Heymann (assistant director-general for Health Security and Environment and representative of the director-general for Polio Eradication) are a part of the team.
Executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Dr Mike Ryan will lead the team from WHO headquarters in Geneva.
Mkhize said, “We see this as a great opportunity… The first group of experts hit South African soil today [5 August] and will start their work after their quarantine period.”
He added that while it is early in days regarding vaccines, the country has taken the move to be involved in vaccine trials and participate in global vaccine alliance initiatives. This comes as citizens have noted, with worry, the decline in tests. Mkhize elaborated previous explanations saying that provinces had to shift their testing and focus on high-risk patients and areas of high risk.
Update on vaccines: Currently we are participating in the ChAdOx-1 study and in the COVAX project to be part of the global research initiatives as well as the access to vaccines programme. We also wish to pursue the possibility of manufacturing vaccines locally. #HealthUpdate
— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) August 5, 2020
Importantly, the health minister called on funeral parlours to assist the department. The call is to reduce the number of excess deaths where there is no further explanation. “In response to the report on excess deaths. We will now require all sudden deaths and deaths that occur at home, that a specimen be taken.”
Mkhize concluded, “South Africans have helped us navigate a very difficult situation. Behave in a way that will ensure, that as we get to the end of the surge, that we do not resuscitate another surge.”
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