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The uMgungundlovu district has become the death capital of KwaZulu-Natal, accounting for more than 70% of the total Covid-19 deaths in the province on Saturday.
According to statistics released by Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala on Sunday, 66 of the 85 people who died due to Covid-19 on Saturday were from the uMgungundlovu district.
The Mayor of Msunduzi, Mzi Thebolla, who referred The witness to the provincial cabinet on Covid-19 statistics matters in Msunduzi and the district, urged residents to adhere to Covid-19 protocols.
“The fact of the matter is that Covid-19 kills. That is why we are always advising people to adhere to protocols to protect their own lives, those of their families, and those of members of the general public. “
The high death rate in the district comes as private hospitals struggle to cope with the influx of patients.
As a result, medically assisted Covid-19 patients could soon find themselves in public hospitals, as private facilities in KwaZulu-Natal refer patients to them.
Reporting to the media in Durban on Sunday, Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu said: “During the first wave, we had an agreement with the private hospitals to refer some of the patients from the public hospitals in case we stay. no beds. However, the opposite is happening [now]. “
With the province registering an average of 5,000 infections a day, there is concern that public hospitals will soon be overwhelmed as well.
While statistics from private hospitals were not available as of late yesterday afternoon, data released by Zikalala showed that there were still enough Covid-19 beds in public hospitals.
Of the 127 ICU beds in the province’s public hospitals, half remained unoccupied while 3% of the isolation beds remained unoccupied. At the Royal Showgrounds field hospital in Pietermaritzburg with 250 isolation beds, less than 5% are currently occupied.
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The ban on the sale of alcohol and other Level 3 restrictions, Zikalala said, also helped free up public hospital beds.
“As a result of their adherence to the Level 3 Close Alert restrictions, on New Years Eve and New Years Day, some of our busiest hospitals in the province reported very low patient admissions.
Its emergency and trauma units were virtually empty, thanks to an early curfew and a ban on the sale of alcohol. This includes hospitals like Prince Mshiyeni Memorial, King Edward VIII, Addington, Edendale, Madadeni, Ngwelezane, Port Shepstone and others, ”he said.
Lack of adherence to Covid-19 protocols, including lack of use of masks, has been blamed for the recent surge in infections.
Zikalala said the provincial government had taken a hard line against those who violated regulations, including liquor stores that continued to trade despite the ban on the sale of alcohol.
“We call on all right-thinking South Africans not only to isolate these people without supporting their trade, but also to report them anonymously, by contacting SAPS at 10111, so that we can take action,” he said.
As of December 29, more than 700 people had been arrested for violating Covid-19 regulations. Of the 729 arrests, Zikalala said, 246 were for breaking the curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., 66 for selling and transporting liquor and 392 for not wearing a mask.
On Saturday, the province registered 4,714 new cases. The uMngungundlovu district municipality, which along with eThekwini and four other districts has been classified as a hotspot, recorded 203 new infections on Saturday, while eThekwini recorded 3,720.
Covid-19 vaccine for February, but for front-line personnel
Meanwhile, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced that the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines could arrive in the country next month.
Reporting to the media yesterday, Mkhize, who said South Africa was currently negotiating with vaccine manufacturers, assured citizens that the government was committed to purchasing vaccines urgently.
Mkhize also denied that there were “doubts” on the part of the government, as some have suggested “on social media.”
READ ALSO | Mkhize: Covid-19 vaccine targeting two-thirds of the population, as the government seeks herd immunity.
“The only way to be able to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic is the provision of immunity through vaccination. We have been trying to follow what is the best way to deal with this. Vaccines should be available quickly so that the majority of our citizens are covered by the end of the first year of implementation, this year, ”he said.
While the government was pushing for the first batch to arrive next month, Mkhize said it would only be available to front-line workers such as nurses and doctors.
The second batch, Mkhize said, would be for essential workers, people with comorbidities and the elderly.
While the government’s goal was to vaccinate the rest of the population before the end of the year, it currently does not have the funds to buy enough vaccines for the entire population.
