Gauteng coronavirus patient in critical condition
One of the four newly confirmed coronavirus patients in Gauteng is in a critical condition, the provincial health department said on Wednesday.
Six new cases of coronavirus was confirmed in South Africa earlier, bringing the total number of positive tests to 13. Gauteng’s coronavirus cases jumped to four.
READ: Coronavirus: South Africa records 6 new COVID-19 cases
All the patients - aged between 33 and 57- returned from trips to Europe in March.
Gauteng Health MEC, Bandile Masuku says the critical patient, who is 57-years-old, also suffers from a chronic kidney disease.
"One of them is a 57-year-old with renal disease, which we are quite worried about, because those are two factors that usually give a severe pattern of the disease that we have seen."
"We are quite confident with our staff and everybody who has been working throughout, even the tracing teams to trace the contact of the patients.”
READ: FEDHASA: Hospitality sector remains strong, for now amid virus fears
Meanwhile, the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers says government's measures to deal with the coronavirus outbreak are not practical for the average and poor South African.
The union's Kagiso Makoe says the average South African can't simply self quarantine as many share their home with several people.
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She also says coronavirus tests must be free for everyone.
Government has designated a number of public hospitals in the country to deal with and treat coronavirus cases. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases has a 24-hour toll-free number for coronavirus queries.
That number is 0800 029 999.
