Hospital group, Mediclinic, says the third wave of the coronavirus is exceeding previous admissions at its healthcare facilities with a huge demand for hospital beds and ICU resources.
Most of the pressure is being experienced in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
There have been more than 12 000 reported COVID-19 related deaths in the Western Cape since the start of the pandemic.
Mediclinic says its Intensive Care Unit and high care capacity may vary from hospital to hospital depending on the number of licensed beds.
It confirms an increase in vaccines being administered through its vaccination sites and is currently operating 10 Pfizer vaccination centres; with more sites expected to be opened which will offer the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
It adds that while human resources within the ICU and high care remain constrained, there’s a reduced impact of absenteeism among staff who have been vaccinated.
There are currently more than 27 000 Active COVID-19 cases in the Western Cape.
More than 2 300 people are currently hospitalised in that province.
#COVID19 UPDATE: A total of 76,163 tests were conducted in the last 24 hrs, with 22, 443 new cases, which represents a 29.5% positivity rate. A further 374 #COVID19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 63,873 to date. Read more: https://t.co/GS5M8WiwBy pic.twitter.com/gLzbEs6q5C
— NICD (@nicd_sa) July 9, 2021
Concerns over lack of hospital beds in Gauteng amid increasing COVID-19 cases: Dr. Fareed Abdullah