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JOHANNESBURG – The Western Cape health department says 11 private hospitals and two public hospitals have requested a diversion.
This is because COVID-19 infections have skyrocketed in the province over the weekend.
Health authorities say that while they will not reopen field hospitals, they will intensify their strategy to cope with the pressure.
READ: Closing beaches is counterproductive, says WC health department
“We are seeing the snowball effect of the exponential increase in cases in the province over the past few days and sadly, that has put our hospitals under significant pressure.
“As a result of that pressure, we obviously have to put in place some management actions, and one of them is detours,” said Dr. Saadiq Kariem of the Western Cape Health Department.
The Western Cape currently has more than 17,000 COVID-19 infections.
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