Are death numbers accurate?

Recent issues such as the backlog in test results and the recent mistake in the identity of two bodies for burial where one had been diagnosed as a Covid-19 case, and the other was not infected, are indications of the health departments in most provinces being under great stress.

There is no clear answer from officials as to why the original lockdown has left some provinces, especially the Eastern Cape, hopelessly unprepared for the pandemic, when this was the whole idea of the lockdown.

The provincial head of health was from the get-go completely out of her depth and even admonished by the minister at some point.

However, finger-pointing is not going to solve the problem at hand.

But are we getting the correct death figures?

Every day we are told of the number of deaths due to the Covid-19 virus. But are these correct?

Are the pathologists not taking the line of least resistance and labelling anyone dying of a comorbidity ailment such as hypertension, asthma, diabetes and so on as a Covidrelated death?

Given the increase in pressure on them to clear their decks, and with pressure from families, it would be tempting to bang a Covid-19 parcel tag on the toe of some who succumbs to something other than the covornavirus.

Could the health department give us a breakdown of normal comorbidity deaths that were not Covid-related?

It would be useful to see how these figures relate to the same period last year, that is before the pandemic.

Another concern I have is that the projection of deaths in the Eastern Cape could reach 5,000.

This is hopefully a worstcase scenario, but given the struggle for people in townships to keep social distances, added to the “to hell with you” attitude of the taxis, we could actually be facing this figure.

If this is the case, what are the health and related people doing about the provision of mortuary capacity?

You can bet that if this becomes a problem, industrial action by the mortuaries will come to pass as usual.

There will be a need for additional burial space as well but there is just so much space available at present.

Thousands of graves cannot be entertained in the current cemeteries unless we bury all the deceased standing up, which would lead archaeologists in thousands of years’ time to discover Africa’s version of the Chinese “Terracotta army”.

Cremation is the obvious way to go.

The downside, however, is that you are never sure when they hand you the brown paper bag with the ashes that the ashes belong to your loved one or some of the previous cremations, or worst of all, the two dogs sent to be destroyed by the local vet.

Of course, the cremation industry will have to get past the Covid command committee where the shadow of Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma looms over anything remotely having to do with smoke or ash.

It is surprising that undertakers currently handling cremations don’t have to carry a notice on their advertising advising that cremation is bad for your health.

Silly you think? Remember how recently you could not buy open shoes and short-sleeved shirts? Same idiocy, same people.

Covid-19 has opened up such a can of worms and has exposed so many of the ANC’s “leaders” as once happy to muddle along in their search for a better life for all but mostly themselves, and then with the pandemic, suddenly finding themselves hopelessly out of their depth in understanding the situation and the people they are supposed to represent.