66 people have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) at St Augustine Hospital in Durban. According to a twitter post by Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, 48 of them are staff.
The Netcare hospital, situated in Berea in Durban, has been identified as a hotspot for COVID-19 infections in KwaZulu-Natal.
In the video below, Netcare’s Dr Richard Friedland says it is dealing with COVID-19 cases at their hospitals.
On Saturday, Mkhize urged all patients who had been at the hospital from the first of March 2020 to contact the provincial Department of Health.
We are concerned about developments at St Augustine’s Hospital. 66 tested positive over the past few days. About 48 of them are staff. The Provincial dept. is engaging the hospital, with a view to closing parts of the hospital down
— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) April 7, 2020
In the twitter post, the Minister said that the provincial department is engaging with the hospital with the view to close parts of the hospital down. Mhkize said that specialists have also been assigned to the hospital.
He added that the fumigation process is likely to start soon.
Nurses rely on masks, goggles, gowns & gloves to protect themselves from the #coronavirus.
On #WorldHealthDay , let’s reflect on what individual action we can take to support frontline health workers. pic.twitter.com/JOwmRXXkSw
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 7, 2020
Confirmed cases of coronavirus in South Africa#coronavirus #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/w4QSUFG6oo
— SABC News Online (@SABCNewsOnline) April 7, 2020
Meanwhile, another death has been reported at Parklands hospital, bringing the number of deaths from coronavirus to 13. The KwaZulu-Natal man had an underlying health condition, suffering from stage four prostate cancer.
As at today, the total number of confirmed #COVID19 cases is 1749. There is also another death, bringing the total to 13 deaths. It was a male who had stage 4 prostrate cancer at Parklands Hospital. We convey our condolences to the family of the deceased #ZweliMkhize
— Department of Health: COVID-19 (@COVID_19_ZA) April 7, 2020
