Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has expressed gratitude to the United States government for donating ventilators to South Africa amid the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Mkhize was speaking at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg, where the ventilators are being installed. South Africa continues to see a rise in the number of coronavirus cases with 43 434 cases recorded and 908 related deaths.
Mkhize says some ventilators will be sent to the Western Cape – the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
“We have received the 50 ventilators which are at a market value of R486 000 per ventilator. The first 50 have been received and we are expecting 950 to come. We have to focus on the Western Cape as it is the epicenter of COVID-19. Therefore the next batch coming, the first take will go to the Western Cape. We have decided to take a portion of this first batch and sent it to the Western Cape.”
In the video below, Mkhize thanks the US government for the donation:
Further Waves of COVID-19
Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku says the health sector is preparing for further waves of the coronavirus pandemic in the future.
Masuku says they are testing the new ventilators for patients.
“The virus that we are facing is one of those that is predicted in the future for us is to be getting more waves of such pandemics going forward. So this is one of our tests as the world to make sure that we are prepared and ready for the next wave. This donation comes very handy for all the facilities that we have, and we will need to have more of them.”
Below are COVID-19 stats for SA as at 05 June 2020:
Loading…
