Are Health Workers Well Equipped To Deal With Coronavirus Patients?

South Africa has the most confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Sub-Saharan Africa and public health experts are worried that it could overwhelm the health system if infection rate continues to rise.

The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) said it was worried that health workers were ill-equipped to fight the disease.

The HPCSA said while its health practitioners were ready to deal with the increasing cases of COVID-19, they had concerns.

The council’s president Dr Kgosi Letlape said: “We are as ready as we are going to be, the issue of resources becomes a problem.”

He said their biggest concern was the occupational safety of healthcare practitioners.

“We’re asking practitioners to follow the rules and be careful.”

Letlape said 1 in 10 people infected by the virus in Italy were healthcare workers.

Elsewhere on the continent, Zimbabwe closed all its borders to human traffic except returning residents after reporting its first death from the coronavirus.

The government also banned public gatherings indefinitely.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, closed its land borders after also registering its first death.

Ethiopia also closed its land borders.

Kenya’s confirmed coronavirus cases rose by one to 16, while Senegal’s tally rose by 12 to 79.

EWN