[ad_1]
Post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by the pandemic has been singled out, with fears that it will affect many people in the coming months alone.
JOHANNESBURG – Experts warn that while the main threat from COVID-19 is physical, other factors, such as the impact on mental health, will persist for quite some time.
Post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by the pandemic has been singled out, with fears that it will affect many people in the coming months alone.
In July, Thabiso Mokhele became one of the faces of the dire economic effects of COVID-19 when he died alone from starvation at his home in Lenasia.
A month earlier, Nomzamo Ndlovu had lost his parents to the virus, four days apart.
His father, a 64-year-old nurse from Milpark Hospital, is believed to have passed it on to his wife, also a retired healthcare professional.
“It hurts when people start talking about COVID, because I have this thing, if this COVID had never been here my parents would still be here,” said a distraught Ndlovu.
The emotional and psychological impact of the pandemic is evident in the number of calls received by the helpline of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag).
They doubled with an average of 1,400 people reaching out every day, as Sadag’s Cassey Chambers explains: “We received over 600 calls from various healthcare workers, including doctors.”
The country’s health infrastructure also gave way under the weight of the pandemic, exacerbating long-standing problems.
Hospitals were overwhelmed, leading to difficult decisions about what medical care would be prioritized.
But there was a slight respite when the government’s controversial decision to ban the sale of alcohol and cigarettes allowed health centers to function better and handle cases.
Ancillary facilities in the form of field hospitals also played an important role in relieving pressure.
As the country goes through a second wave of infections, experts are confident that they are better prepared to handle the response, but the effects will persist for millions of people across the country and the world for the foreseeable future.
Download the EWN app on your iOS or Android device.
[ad_2]
