Oxygen and 5G fake news are Covid-19 challenges
MEC says funerals are source of super-spreader events
KWAZULU-NATAL Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu has listed challenges with oxygen at health facilities and misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine and 5G as some of the challenges the province is facing.
Simelane-Zulu was briefing the health portfolio committee on Covid19 and health-related matters yesterday.
“We generally have a challenge with oxygen in the province. Of course, we have not faced a situation where we ran out of oxygen entirely,” she said.
Simelane-Zulu said the supplier, Afrox, did not have enough staff. As a result, their facilities could not get cylinders or the amount of oxygen that was ordered.
“As the province, we engaged with Afrox to find ways of working around that. We have also put measures (in place) where if Afrox is unable to deliver, we arrange transport and make sure we get cylinders in our facilities as required.”
She said the government was looking at other role players in the market who could assist with supplying oxygen.
“Even though the amount of oxygen might not be big, it would reduce the burden,” she said.
Simelane-Zulu added that there was daily monitoring of the availability of oxygen at health facilities.
“It is necessary to meet once a day with management to ensure all facilities are provided with enough oxygen.”
The MEC said the province had been inundated with misinformation in relation to the Covid-19 vaccines and questions on the causes of illnesses during the pandemic.
She said fake news was an issue the government had dealt with regarding 5G being linked to infections. Last week, 5G towers in uMlazi, KwaMashu and Ntuzuma were vandalised and set alight.
The incident came after a municipal councillor had complained about the installation of 5G towers, blaming the technology for spreading the second wave of the virus.
Premier Sihle Zikalala and Simelane-Zulu will be hosting a webinar today along with industry experts on the myths linking cellphone towers to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regarding concerns about vaccines, Simelane-Zulu said the Covid-19 vaccine was like any others that had been introduced in the past, such as those used to eradicate polio and measles.
The province was working with the national Department of Health on the vaccine roll-out plan.
“We have put systems in place. We
are ready for the vaccine.”
Simelane-Zulu noted that funerals in the province had been the source of super-spreader events. Some areas were not adhering to safety protocols and the times given to hold funerals.
There was non-compliance on the maximum number of 50 people attending them, and a reluctance to not hold night vigils.
“That is what we have been talking to our people about.
“The people of KwaZulu-Natal are beginning to realise there are other ways of sending condolences other than the traditional ways.”
Also briefing the committee, head of department Sandile Tshabalala said the trend during the resurgence was that the private sector was equally, if not more, inundated with patients than it had been during the first wave when the public sector was overwhelmed.
Private hospitals had been allowed to repurpose some of their beds so that they could admit more Covid-19 patients.
“This was informed by hearing that there are situations where people get to different hospitals and don’t get beds simply because they don’t have private hospitals with Covid beds that have been repurposed.”
He said that despite efforts in mounting their Covid-19 response, there were challenges with the implementation of the responses.
“The operational challenge that we are seeing is of critical and high-care beds due to a shortage of specialists and doctors,” he said.
There was a prolonged turnaround for results despite the use of antigen rapid tests in hospitals, as well as increased morbidity and mortality due to delays in seeking medical care by Covid-19-positive patients.
Tshabalala said the province had recorded 5 732 deaths.
“A total 150 of these deaths occurred at people’s homes,” he said.
Tshabalala noted that eThekwini Metro had recorded the highest number of deaths in KZN.
“Within the province, eThekwini Municipality continues to contribute 46% of the reported deaths,” he said.