Asymptomatic patients to be quarantined in facilities

Asymptomatic people who have tested positive for Covid-19 would be admitted to quarantine facilities soon as a way of containing the spread of the virus, health minister Zweli Mkhize said on Monday.

Mkhize and Eastern Cape health MEC Sindiswa Gomba were speaking at the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in Mdantsane after an hours-long closed meeting with premier Oscar Mabuyane and senior government officials.

Mkhize did not provide much detail on how the admissions to government hospitals and quarantine facilities would be carried out.

“It means they [those who are asymptomatic] can still be taken for admission in hospital, not because they need to be treated but because we need to keep them in a place where the body can fight the virus away from the community, which could easily get infected,” he said.

Mkhize’s announcement came as staff at Uitenhage Provincial Hospital and the Zwide Clinic downed tools in separate protests on Monday, citing a number of reasons  including a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and potentially — but unintentionally —  spreading the virus to friends, family and others in the community.

Nehawu has called for the clinic to be closed after 11 workers tested positive for Covid-19, with one fatality, according to the union’s district co-ordinator, Mbulelo Mosalakae.

In Uitenhage,  hospital staff occupied the first floor of the provincial hospital, demanding that the CEO be fired.

Mkhize’s visit to the Eastern Cape comes hot on the heels of a previous visit two weeks ago, when he was so unhappy with the province’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic that he seconded some specialists to help the province with its fight against the coronavirus.

Mkhize also announced that there were now 1,356 confirmed cases in the Eastern Cape and 24 deaths.

The number of confirmed cases nationally stood at 10,652 on Monday afternoon.

He said almost a million people had been screened in the Eastern Cape, with eight-million screened nationally.

During his last visit, Mkhize also criticised the Eastern Cape for its failure to submit daily reports to Pretoria — something  he said  on Monday had drastically improved.

“The provincial government is on top of its game and trying to respond [to the coronavirus],” he said, before showering Bhisho with more compliments.

“I am quite comfortable with plans shown to us that they are following protocols.

“I got a thorough briefing on how much has been done.

“No worker must be exposed without having PPE.

“We will also help the department to procure more PPE.

“We are monitoring this one very closely and will continue getting reports so that the safety of our workers is prioritised.”

Mkhize said the provincial health department had employed 800 nurses in the past week and 20 Cuban doctors would be deployed in Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City at the end of this week.

“The Cuban specialists understand the approach to community and family health, where you need to look at not just one person but the people and their surroundings so that we can manage the disease as it afflicts the entire community.”

Mkhize’s visit was also in preparation for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the province later this week.

He praised Gomba and the provincial health department, saying: “They are on top of their game.”

However, his words were of little comfort to the protesting workers in the Bay.

Mosalakae said the group of about 40 Zwide Clinic workers were protesting against the health department’s district office issuing a standard operating procedure that employees should continue to work while awaiting their Covid-19 test results.

“There are 11 workers that tested positive, with one fatality —  if a person is positive while waiting for their results, how many people will they come into contact with daily in the clinic?”

The clinic was disinfected during the protest action.

Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral committee member Yolisa Pali said: “The national department of health got involved.

“I am following up with the district office on who wrote the standard operating procedures that requested people to work, because that was wrong.

“I was aware of the national standard operating procedure, which says people should self-isolate after testing.” 

In relation to the situation in Uitenhage, Nehawu regional secretary Sweetness Stokwe raised similar concerns to those raised by  Mosalakae.

“Workers who have had Covid-19 tests and  are awaiting their results haven’t been told to stay at home while they wait for these, instead they’re told to continue coming to work,” Stokwe said.

Health department spokesperson  Siyanda Manana said the department was aware of the protests and was addressing the issues.

“The [41] staff have been notified that the clinic will be temporarily closed from today [Monday] until we get all the results.

“Pending the outcome of the results, the staff will be addressed and advised to assume their duties.

“Thirteen [Bay] clinics have been disinfected, with the Zwide Clinic disinfected and fumigated.

“A debriefing will be done on May 13 [Wednesday]  by the social workers,” he said, adding that PPE was available for those who required it.