Tanks, tents and testing: Eastern Cape responds to the Covid-19 pandemic

On Monday 16 March the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, announced that nationally 62 people have tested positive for Covid-19 but none have tested positive so far in the Eastern Cape. Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said 28 patients have so far been tested for the virus but all tests were negative.

In his speech at the Eastern Cape legislature on Monday, Premier Oscar Mabuyane said a public education programme will be launched on the province’s public radio stations. This will focus on preventative measures such as hand washing and social distancing.

He added that roadblocks will be set up at all entry points into the province and all people entering will be screened.

“We will set up roadblocks at the points of entry in the province such as the road entry points, landing ports of entry and airports and allocate screening tools for all roadblocks.”

He added that all crew members aboard ships that come into Eastern Cape ports will be tested for Covid-19.  

“In the event that there are people who might test positive, they will be quarantined.”

Mabuyane said that as the province does not have sufficient beds in hospitals, marquee tents will be set up to use as field hospitals for mild cases. In a meeting to gauge the province’s readiness to deal with an outbreak, health officials said that one of the province’s biggest hospitals, Livingstone Tertiary Hospital, is currently at 110% capacity. 

“Because we do not have hospitals dedicated for the treatment of this pandemic, we will use marquee facilities as field hospitals to deal with cases.

“We will assign professional nurses from the system to work in the field hospitals to provide care to the patients and get 1,000 nursing assistants for a period of 12 months.”

He promised that 2,000 professional nurses would be trained and unemployed nurses would be re-employed on a one-year contract. 

This comes shortly after the Eastern Cape Department of Health’s budget was cut to R26-billion in the new financial year. Mabuyane said they will make a plan to finance the emergency response to the Covid-19 outbreak. 

He pledged more water tanks and soap to be delivered to areas where it is in short supply. 

Mabuyane said all health workers will be issued with N95 masks, gloves and aprons to wear when treating persons under investigation or those showing symptoms of the coronavirus disease.

“We are preparing hospitals to be ready for the treatment of severe cases and we are creating space to manage pneumonia and other severe cases.” 

He said 38 laboratories in the province will be used to test for Covid-19 and the province was procuring swabs “in large quantities” to be used for testing.

“We have three identified isolation units located at Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth, Frere Hospital in East London and Nelson Academic Hospital in Mthatha. 

“Government will ensure that there is enough stock for food in all health centres. We will add more water tanks and soap for people to wash their hands as required. 

“Major sporting, public and political events have been postponed and cancelled as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the province. 

“A team from the province is working with municipalities to identify events that were scheduled by municipalities and in municipalities that would attract massive numbers of the public. All these events will be cancelled in line with the decision to cancel all events that will attract more than 100 people. 

“We are in a predicament. This is a tough situation for the economy of the province,” Mabuyane said. DM