Cape Town - As the country grapples with a storm of second-wave Covid-19 infections, hospitalisations and daily deaths, concern remains about the pressure on the health-care system around New Year's celebrations and for at least the next few months, experts said.
As of December 29, the country recorded a total of 1 021 451 cases. Almost 500 deaths were recorded in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 27 568. The recovery rate was 84%.
By Wednesday, the Western Cape registered 36 805 active Covid-19 infections with a total of 202 712 confirmed cases. On the same day, the province recorded 155 deaths, bringing the total number of Covid-19-related deaths to 6 667.
Provincial health department head Dr Keith Cloete said the health-care system and its workers in both the public and private sectors had never been under as much strain as they were now.
“The situation is quite dire. Besides being exhausted and traumatised, our health-care workers are getting infected, and as such there are fewer of them working.
“We are calling on the public to do whatever they can to help, particularly over the next 14 days. They can do this by avoiding public gatherings, keeping their personal bubbles secure and by adhering to the regulations on physical distancing,” said Cloete.
Premier Alan Winde said a major recruitment drive was under way to keep up with growing demands.
“Trauma cases escalate at this time of year and New Year's Eve is one of the busiest nights of the year in our emergency centres. We are in the process of recruiting over 1 300 health-care workers – with 44% of these coming from extensions of existing short-term contracts.
“The remaining 56% will be recruited and appointed. We have received over 500 applications as part of this recruitment drive and a dedicated team have been working throughout this festive period, contacting applicants to determine their availability and channelling information to the appropriate regions and districts for immediate placement,” he said.
“We have also secured 103 staff members to staff the additional beds and wards at Lentegeur Hospital. Among the 103 are 20 nurses, 35 nursing assistants, 17 enrolled nurses, a physiotherapist, pharmacists and assistants, ward clerks, 13 medical officers, eight porters and two medical specialists. Many of them have already undergone orientation, and orientation for certain categories of staff will continue throughout this week.”
Dr Fatimah Khan at Victoria Hospital said this year had been the toughest of her career and in many instances she had felt like quitting.
“Not being able to see my family, my support system. Fearing that I'm going to pass on this deadly virus. Working double shifts because my healthy colleagues are now fighting for their lives.
“I have never seen anything like this before, and I pray to never have to see anything like this again. (We) are the front line now, this is all in (our) hands. The only place you are safe is at home. You may be able to fight this virus but your mom and dad won't,” said Khan.
New Somerset Hospital's emergency medicine medical officer Dr Laurica Bailey said they were not at the front line but the last line of defence. “It starts at home, it starts with people wearing masks, practising social distancing, washing their hands, and protecting themselves because we can't do that for you,” Bailey said.
UCT's Professor Jackie Hoare at the department of psychiatry said workers were taught to break bad news, but the way in which they experienced death during the first wave, and now the second, was at a rate no one was prepared for.
“We are tired and we do need your help. We can't do this alone. It's real. It's happening again,” Hoare said.
Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA acting general secretary Cassim Lekhoathi expressed concern about the strain on the health system.
“We are not of the view that we are 100% ready for the second wave, as it is coming at the wrong time. It culminates during the festive season when we are faced with a number of assault cases, accidents on roads and their serious impact on the status of hospital beds. We are already battling to get beds for Covid-19,” Lekhoathi said.
Lekhoathi said there were reports on the ground that people had already stocked up with alcohol for New Year's Eve celebrations, so they were still expecting high numbers of trauma cases.
“People were already expecting alcohol would be banned so they stocked up and there is the black market, also. We just hope for, and plead with communities to be more responsible and considerate of healthcare workers because we cannot cope,” he said.
Globally 80 453 105 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed with 1 775 776 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.