About 328 health workers contracted COVID-19: Health Department

About 328 health workers have contracted the COVID-19. This is according to the COVID-19 Health Presentation by the Department of Health.

The presentation reveals that 133 health workers contracted the virus in public facilities and 195 in private facilities. The largest number of health workers comes from KwaZulu-Natal with 136 and the Western Cape has the least with two.

Briefing the media on Tuesday night, Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize said one retired doctor died of coronavirus in the Free State.

“Our biggest ammunition on fighting COVID-19 is a technical professional training among our health workers in the frontline. It is important for the health workers to be well trained, it is important for the health workers to be well protected. In this case, we have noticed that the protective gear tends to be a moving target, one time we have enough, one time there is a shortage, particularly that the whole world is looking for this protective gear. There is adequate stock to share among the various institutions.”

Full COVID-19 presentation below:

‘Decision to ease lockdown was scientific’

Mkhize said the government needs to manage pandemic and also make sure people live a sustainable life, adding that the reason to ease the lockdown was based on scientific information.

“After five weeks there was not a need for additional support for a lockdown, what the president announced is the way that things are going to go but we need to know that the formula that was used, the model that was used has actually concluded that we need to start managing the lockdown as we move forward rather than continuing with it as it was. But in addition, it’s also important to say that there were a number of other factors that have to be taken into account such as the issue of food security, it has always been topmost in our minds as government. The balancing of the economy is important.”

93 COVID-19 related deaths have been recorded in South Africa while the number of confirmed cases has increased to 4 996. The latest deaths were all elderly people from the Western Cape.

The Western Cape has recorded 38 deaths while Kwazulu-Natal has recorded 30 fatalities.

In the video below, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize media briefing with MECs and experts: