South Africa’s third wave of COVID could be the worst | Coronavirus News Plague

Cape Town, South Africa – From its bed-10 bedridden hospital west of Johannesburg, Bayanda Government is more widely used to treat kidney disease than COVID-19. But with the city’s overcrowded hospitals, patients living in crippled facilities for days and waiting ambulances in parking lots, this is starting to change.

A 27-year-old nephrology specialist says he was filled with calls from patients who needed fresh air and could not find them anywhere. But because of limited resources, they are forced to prioritize.

“It has robbed me of peace. It is very sad to see people die. Some people are breathing. There is nothing you can do. You can’t save anyone, ”he said.

Gauteng faces challenges. We are in trouble. Patients are calling for help, they are unable to breathe. There are no Public and Private hospitals in Gauteng. Protect the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.
# mulingo5# ChipikuDiv1 #VATIDDA A COVID19 #CIVVVccination pic.twitter.com/H0qap6SDQl

– Bayanda Gumede💊💉 (@BayandaGumede) June 21, 2021

South Africa accounts for about 40% of all deaths on COVID-19 on the continent, while 60,038 have died legally. It is currently in the midst of a third wave, driven by the rapid spread of the Delta species, the first known species in India, which are growing rapidly.

Professor Salim Abdool Karim, a world-renowned infectious disease specialist and former chair of the South African Service Advisory Committee on COVID-19, believes that mutations associated with furin – an enzyme that “breaks down” bad proteins – make this extremely dangerous. .

“This cut is important. It helps the virus to enter the cells more easily, and thus spread faster,” he says. “These differences are more likely to spread twice as much as in other stressful species.”

Science has translated into order. Speaking on television on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the introduction of new laws, including a ban on the sale of alcohol and meetings, as well as the extension of the curfew from 9pm to 4am.

For the Government, it should not get here. “Waiting until the virus spreads uncontrollably has forced us to move to a much harder place than it needs to,” he said. “They know that the Delta is spreading in India. He would have banned air travel from India to South Africa. ”

Currently, Gauteng – home of the country’s economic capital, Johannesburg, and its administrative capital, Pretoria – is at the heart of the third wave, accounting for more than 60 percent of new cases. As of Monday, the district had 81,399 cases.

In a press statement last week, Prime Minister David Makhura said, “We are fighting. We are in big trouble. The epidemic is everywhere.”

The situation in Johannesburg is mainly exacerbated by the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital with 1,000 beds after they were forced to close fire in April. But many believe that these rulers are innocent.

“Where is the preparation for existing systems related to ICU, oxygen, diagnostics and care?” wrote Tlaleng Mofokeng, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Health.

True everyone predicted the third wave, nasrec hospital where is it? There is a provision for existing information related to ICU, oxygen, diagnostics and care. It’s been a year. They had time, the qualities alone are not enough. If hai shem they want us dead. https://t.co/HA0XsB3APl

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

Some major health facilities in Johannesburg, such as Nasrec field hospital and AngloGold Ashanti Hospital, are empty. “There are a lot of doctors and nurses who are not working,” he said. “It seems absurd that the government was not prepared at all.”

If there is still controversy over whether South Africa became a major contractor, the solution to the problem is clear, according to Karim.

“The fact is that the vaccine is a very important part of trying to prevent the virus. We need to incorporate vaccines into some of our health care systems. ”

Although Ramapahosa has been one of the world’s leading vaccinators and exempt patents, its public service campaign has been delayed. South Africa has so far given 2.9 million doses, although it received 7.4 million vaccines. Less than 5 percent of the population has received one dose.

Opponents of the government, including opposition parties, say the delay was delayed due to poor planning. But speaking on Sunday, Ramaphosa also spoke about the delay in vaccinations.

“There is a lot of false information being circulated about the COVID-19 vaccine. “False news is spreading on WhatsApp, television, and word of mouth about the COVID-19 vaccine, saying that the vaccine is not good, that it can make you sick, or not working,” he said.

“I have already said, and I want to repeat: Please consider long before you submit a contribution or submit,” he told South Africans. “You’re spreading fear, panic and chaos at a time when we can’t afford it.”

However, the slow exit has left many frustrated.

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

“My husband is 61 years old and missed the first vaccination in one week. If the government had been more successful in its sport, things would have been better, ”he said.

“Generally, I like Ramaphosa. Last year he took a kidney and closed it quickly. But I think the government would have done away with these third waves. ”

Several damages related to the use of COVID-19 funds have also led to public confidence in the government’s ability to combat the epidemic.

In September 2020, report (PDF) from the Auditor General found “significant shortcomings” in the financing of the government’s trials of COVID-19 – from the purchase of self-defense equipment, to hospital beds, to social grants.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Health Zweli Mkhize was placed on a fully paid “special holiday” after giving a contract to Digital Vibes, a affiliate company owned by its former partners. An investigation is underway.

If, according to the president, this third wave could be too long, Karim says it would not be the last.

“We will see some of the best varieties of Delta and then move on to the next one. They are the people against the virus and its species. In the meantime, the virus continues. It can go one way ahead of us. ”