South Africa’s third COVID wave could still be the worst Coronavirus pandemic News

Cape Town, South Africa – From a 10-bed private clinic in west Johannesburg, Bayanda Gumende is more used to treating kidney disease than COVID-19. As the city’s hospitals are full, patients have been waiting in the injured rooms for days and ambulances have been waiting in the parking lots, which has begun to change.

The 27-year-old leading nephrology technologist said he has met calls from patients who are desperate to get oxygen and can’t find it elsewhere. But with limited supply, he is forced to prioritize.

“It hurt me. It’s very emotional to see people take their last breaths. Some people are praying in the air. You literally can’t do anything about it. You can’t save them all, ”he says.

Gauteng is experiencing a crisis. We are under pressure. Patients seeking help cannot breathe. There are no available hospitals in Gauteng, both public and private. Protect the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.
# level5# Covid19SA # COVID-19 #COVIDVaccination pic.twitter.com/H0qap6SDQl

– Bayanda Gumede???????? (@BayandaGumede) June 21, 2021

It accounts for about 40% of all COVID-19 deaths on the continent in South Africa, and so far 60,038 deaths have been officially reported. It is now in the middle of a third wave, caused by the rapid spread of the Delta variant, which was first detected in India, and this is fast becoming the main tension.

Professor Salim Abdool Karim, the world’s leading epidemiologist and former chairman of COVID-19’s South African Ministerial Advisory Committee, believes a mutation associated with furin – an enzyme that “splits” a peak protein – makes this variant particularly dangerous.

“This cutting process is critical. It makes it easier for the virus to enter cells and therefore spread faster, “he says.” This variant is twice as contagious as other variants of concern. “

Science has become politics. In a televised appearance on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a set of new restrictions, including a ban on all alcohol sales and gatherings, as well as extending local hours from 9pm to 4am.

For Gumend it is not necessary to get this far. “Waiting for the virus to spread uncontrollably has forced us to move to a much harder closure than necessary,” he says. “They knew that the Delta variant was spreading all over India. They should have banned flights from India to South Africa. ”

So far, Gauteng Province – the country’s financial center, Johannesburg, and its administrative capital, Pretoria, have been the epicenter of this third wave, accounting for more than 60% of new cases. As of Monday, the province had 81,399 active cases.

Speaking at a press conference last week, provincial prime minister David Makhura said: “We are fighting. We are under extreme pressure. The pandemic is everywhere.”

The situation in Johannesburg has been exacerbated in April after a fire broke out when Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg had to close with 1,000 beds. Many believe that the authorities are not entirely to blame.

“Where is the training of the existing system in terms of ICU, oxygen, diagnosis and treatment?” Tlaleng Mofokeng tweeted a special report on the right to health by the United Nations.

Actually, everyone announced the third wave, where is the nasrec hospital? Where is the training of the existing system in terms of ICU, oxygen, diagnosis and treatment. It’s been over a year. They had time, just behavior is not enough. Iyo hai shem basifuna sifile. https://t.co/HA0XsB3APl

– Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng (@drtlaleng) June 24, 2021

Some of Johannesburg’s major health facilities, such as Nasrec Rural Hospital and AngloGold Ashanti Hospital, are empty. “There are a lot of doctors and nurses who are unemployed,” Gumend says. “I find it ridiculous that the government hasn’t prepared at all.”

If it is still debated how South Africa became the most affected country on the continent, the way out of this crisis is clear, according to Karim.

“The reality is that the vaccine is an important part of trying to control the virus. We need to combine the vaccine with some of our public health preventative measures.”

While Ramapahosa has been among the leading voices demanding vaccine equity and waiver of production patents, his government’s vaccination campaign has been slow. South Africa has delivered only 2.9 million doses so far, despite receiving a total of 7.4 million vaccines. Less than 5% of the population has received a single dose.

Government critics, including opposition parties, have said the expansion has been slow due to poor planning. But in a statement on Sunday, Ramaphosa mentioned doubts about the vaccine.

“There is still a lot of misinformation spreading about the COVID-19 vaccine. False stories are spreading on WhatsApp groups, social media and word of mouth about the COVID-19 vaccine, saying that the vaccine is not safe, can get sick or not work.” said the president.

“I’ve said it before, and I want to say it again: Please think long and hard before you share or send,” he told the South Africans. “You’re spreading panic, fear and confusion at a time when we can pay badly.”

However, the slow expansion has frustrated many.

Celeste Bortz is a 59-year-old teacher from Johannesburg. Her husband has been in the hospital with oxygen for the past six weeks.

“My husband is 61 years old and has missed the start of the vaccination program for a week. If the government had been more in its game, things could have been much better, ”he said.

“Overall, I like Ramaphosa. Last year he took the baton and quickly blocked it. But I think the government could have handled this third wave better. “

A series of corruption scandals related to COVID-19 spending have also shaken people’s confidence in the government’s response to the pandemic.

In September 2020, a report (PDF) According to the Auditor General, “serious shortcomings” were found in the financial management of the government’s COVID-19 initiatives – the purchase of personal protective equipment, hospital beds and social assistance.

Earlier this month, the Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize he was put on a fully paid “special holiday” for Digital Vibes, a communications company made up of his former partners, after being awarded contracts. The investigation is ongoing.

According to the presidency, if this third wave may still be the longest, Karim says it will not be the last.

“We’ll look at more effective variants of Delta and then move on to the next one. Basically humans are the virus and its variants. Right now the virus is dominating. It’s able to take a step forward.”