More patients at St Augustine's Hospital contract COVID-19

KwaZulu-Natal Health ME, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu says the patients were initially admitted to the dialysis centre.

The centre, which is separate from the hospital where 66 coronavirus cases were identified, had remained operational due to a shortage of dialysis in the province.

The hospital was closed to the public two weeks ago.

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Simelane-Zulu says there was an agreement with the hospital to keep the centre open - provided there was no chance of the virus spreading there.

"Although we raised with the group to say how are they that the virus has not moved around, they indicated that it was not possible. The health workers that work in the hospital don't necessarily work in the dialysis centre." 

She says the hospital has been asked to come up with a solution.

"We are now faced with a situation where we need to instruct, and we have indicated with St Augustine's that they must find alternative centres for these particular patients to be dialysed." 

"So we are giving St Augustine's an opportunity, and we are giving them a week to say, what are they going to do with these patients? And where are they going to take them? But they need to test all of them at this point and indicate how many other than the seven we know are already positive." 

Simelane-Zulu has also confirmed that Kingsway Hospital in Amanzimtoti - now has 10 healthcare workers who have contracted COVID-19.

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