The mother of a 12-year-old learner who succumbed to COVID-19-related complications over the weekend has spoken out about the safety of learners at school.
This as KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala expressed concern about the increase in coronavirus cases at provincial schools.
The province currently has over 40 000 active COVID-19 cases surpassing Gauteng at 18 000 and has registered 12 535 deaths overall due to the pandemic.
Zikalala has attributed the increase of infections to the recent large gatherings by people engaging in looting and destruction of property.
More than 300 people were killed in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal following the unrest.
Learner Solice Kaitlyn Pillay’s mother, Karishma, describes the last few moments she spent with her daughter.
Pillay says, “Saturday morning I woke up. I fed her porridge. I gave her medication. Gave her some Lucozade and all of that. She said, mummy, I’m ok, let me go and sleep. She went to the bed and she slept and then she just woke up and she said, mummy, I can’t breathe. She went to the toilet. She came out and then I was rubbing her hand and I said, baby fight, baby fight. And she said, no mummy, I can’t. I just can’t make it anymore. She’s gone. That was the worst, to see your child die in your arms.”
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Zikalala has confirmed that the province is now in the third wave of COVID-19 with KZN having recorded more than 3000 cases daily.
Zikalala also addressed the number of hospitalisations that are increasing steadily in both public and private health facilities. The Department of Health says it is looking at alternatives in expanding ICU bed capacity.
Residents have been encouraged to continue to vaccinate as Zikalala emphasised the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa, that those between the ages of 18 and 34 will be able to vaccinate from September 1, 2021.
Sihle Zikalala briefs the media on the latest developments concerning the pandemic:
