Illustrative image: healthcare worker holds a COVID-19 test at the Northwell Health facility in Manhasset, New York, USA, on 06 May 2020. New York, as well as many other states in the country, is trying to increase the number people being tested for the coronavirus as leaders work on determining safe plans for reopening the economy. EPA-EFE/JUSTIN LANE (Bloomberg) -- South Africa’s Mediclinic International Plc said it’s struggling with capacity constraints as the country experiences a second wave of coronavirus infections.
Patients seeking care within Mediclinic hospitals are exceeding previous numbers during the first peak, Gerrit de Villiers, a group general manager said in a statement. Demand in many intensive care and high care units have reached capacity, the company said.
Mediclinic said coronavirus patients had climbed from less than 100 admissions to more than 500 in a month in its facilities across the Western Cape.
“This dramatic increase in numbers within the Western Cape has placed very heavy strain on available healthcare resources including staff, equipment and available beds to provide intensive treatment for seriously ill patients,” it said. Elective or non-emergency surgery has been canceled.
Mediclinic said it is increasing beds available to Covid-19 patients and reallocating resources.
There were 10,939 new virus cases and 254 more deaths in South Africa on Saturday, according to the Health Department. DM
By Loni Prinsloo - ©2020 Bloomberg L.P