Asymptomatic patients pose greater virus threat: Netcare
A Regional Director for the Netcare Group, says the biggest coronavirus threat to hospitals is asymptomatic patients.
The group's Craig Murphy says that's what they've learnt after outbreaks at the St Augustine's Hospital on the Berea and Kingsway Hospital in Amanzimtoti.
Murphy made the comments after an oversight visit by the Portfolio Committee on health on Tuesday.
Their visit to St Augustine's came a week after an investigation revealed that almost 140 people had contracted the virus there.
READ: 77 St Augustine's employees recover from COVID-19
Murphy says hospitals need to worry the most about those who enter the hospital and where the virus is not picked up.
"This will be a patient that displays none of the symptoms associated with COVID-19. Then our screening it doesn't pick up despite them answering the questions truthfully.
"They are not even aware themselves that they are COVID-19 positive. A patient like that would be passed through screening and be entered into the hospital itself.
"If we looked at the outbreak itself when it took place, we need to remember that this is very earlier on in the light side of the pandemic in South Africa."
