HeraldLIVE reports that Covid-19 has surfaced at the Life Esidimeni Kirkwood Care Centre in the Eastern Cape, with seven deaths recorded among the 29 patients and six employees infected.
Provincial health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo confirmed that 35 people had tested positive at the centre, ten of whom have recovered. This came after it emerged last week that one resident had died at Life Esidimeni’s Lorraine Frail Care in Port Elizabeth, with 19 infected. Life Esidimeni MD Puseletso Jaure said they were constrained by patient confidentiality and were unable to answer specific questions. Asked about a dispute between unions and management on how to handle the situation at a meeting on Friday, she said she was not aware of that. “We assure you that we are following the department of health and National Institute for Communicable Diseases protocols and guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus within our facility,” Jaure indicated. Sanco Sundays River chair Mxolisi April said on Friday that they were concerned about the Covid-19 situation at the centre as the staff at the facility were all Kirkwood residents. “This is a small town and the staff members use public transport to move back and forth between work and the communities where they live. The hospital is the epicentre of the virus in this town and it should be closed,” April said. A Nehawu shop steward commented: “At the moment, the situation is very bad here and they need to do something. We are calling for the centre to be deep-cleaned, for all the staff to be tested and for the infected patients to be quarantined.”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Guy Rogers at HeraldLIVE
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