[ad_1]
By IOL Reporter 
17h ago
Durban – While several European countries are reporting a second wave of new Covid-19 infections. The National Institute of Communicable Diseases has said that it is not yet clear when SA will see an increase in new cases.
“We are seeing second waves in European countries three or four months after their first wave. We do not know if this will happen in South Africa, but it is possible, and even probable. Also, we know that once the coronavirus is contracted, they are not immune from it. for life and could be re-infected in the future, “said the NICD.
On Tuesday, Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize announced that 903 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in South Africa, bringing the county’s cumulative number of confirmed cases to 672,572.
“Gauteng has 19,161 active cases, followed by the Free State with 13,588 active cases. Sadly, we report 81 more deaths related to Covid-19: eight from the Eastern Cape, 10 from the North Cape, 11 from KwaZulu-Natal, 28 from Gauteng. , five from Limpopo, eight from the Northwest, six from the Western Cape, and five from the Free State, bringing SA’s Covid-19 death count to 16,667. Our recoveries are now 606,520, which translates to a rate of 90%, “Mkhize said.
The NICD said that communities will still have to deal with the coronavirus until most people have been infected or received a vaccine and the country has achieved herd immunity.
“So until it is available and most people get the vaccine, the virus still has a lot of people it can infect,” the institute said.
The NICD said that six months have passed since the implementation of the national lockdown and while many South Africans were infected, some became seriously ill and others died, there were South Africans who developed a different condition: coronavirus exhaustion and pandemic fatigue.
“It is understandable as the pandemic progresses, that people are getting tired of taking precautions. It was a completely new thing for us to stay home, avoid public places, stay away from the people we cared about and not attend social and religious gatherings. It was strange to wear masks at all times and to sanitize our hands frequently during the day. But strange as it was, we embraced this new reality. While some people continue to observe these precautions, many others feel that they are no longer necessary and some have never believed that were necessary in the first place, “said the NICD.
The NICD added that those older than 60, were overweight, out of shape and had multiple medical conditions that were not well controlled, were at risk of developing severe Covid-19 and dying.
“The medical conditions that resulted in the most severe illness and death are hypertension or high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney, heart and lung diseases, cancer, HIV and TB,” said the NICD.
Be even more cautious if you are at high risk and avoid contracting coronavirus
Identify it early if you develop Covid-19
- Remember that the most common symptoms of Covid-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath, tiredness, muscle aches, stuffy or runny nose, headaches, sore throat, loss of taste / smell, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
- If you have any symptoms, you should take the test and then isolate yourself while you wait for the result.
Closely monitor if you develop Covid-19
- Make sure your underlying medical conditions are well controlled. Take your hypertension, diabetes, and other medications correctly and on time.
- Control your blood pressure and sugar. If you are diabetic, it is a very good idea to get a home device to measure your sugar.
- Consider getting a pulse oximeter. This is an easy-to-use device that measures the oxygen saturation (level) in your blood and helps identify early when you need medical attention. The oxygen saturation must always be greater than 92%
Seek medical help early
- If your symptoms get worse or do not improve after 7 days
- If you get confused or have trouble concentrating
- If you have a new fever or have a fever again
- If you develop chest pain
- If you are diabetic and your blood sugar is very high (> 18) or very low (<3.5)
- If your breathing becomes difficult and the number of breaths you take in one minute (respiratory rate) is more than 25
- If your oxygen level on the pulse oximeter is less than 92%
Remember if you get very sick
- Don’t go to your GP’s rooms
- Call the doctor or arrange a virtual medical consultation
- Or call an ambulance and go to the hospital
MESS
[ad_2]
