Staff Reporter
A 70-year-old Free State medical doctor is fighting for life in the intensive care unit after testing positive for COVID-19, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has said.
Two other doctors, a nurse and a neurophysicist in the province have also tested positive for the deadly virus which causes flu-like symptoms which can lead to acute respiratory complications.
The minister however said the medical staff were not infected by the patients they were treating.
“It must be emphasised that none of these health workers were infected by patients that they were treating,” Mkhize said.
“They came into contact with their family members, friends and other colleagues who had tested positive for COVID-19.
“All individuals who were identified as contacts of these health workers have been put in quarantine and are being monitored.”
Mkhize said a total of 12 doctors in South Africa had tested positive for the virus that causes a pneumonia-like respiratory illness.
Six doctors have been affected in Gauteng, the minister said.
In Limpopo, one medical doctor tested positive after he had travelled abroad for holiday and started experiencing symptoms on his return.
He immediately decided to quarantine himself to ensure that he does not transmit the virus to other people.
He has since tested negative after a 14-day quarantine period.
Another doctor in Mpumalanga also went for holiday abroad and a few days after returning to the province he developed symptoms.
He then tested positive and was quarantined.
Other health workers who had contact with him were screened, quarantined and tested.
The section of the hospital where he worked was closed and disinfected and is expected to be opened next week.
“(Excluding the Free State doctor) all these health workers are in a good medical condition with most of them having mild or no symptoms,” Mkhize said.
“All individuals who were identified as contacts of these health workers have been put in quarantine and are being monitored.”
Mkhize said he was concerned by the number of health workers confirmed to have been infected in both private and public hospitals.
“This includes doctors and nurses. We mention this because health workers are in the frontline of this battle. They are exposed not only to their families but to the patients who they are meant to treat,” he said.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa on Saturday increased to 1 187 from Friday’s 1 170.
The Free State figure now stands at 68.
Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal had the most infections at 533, 271 and 156 respectively.
The Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo had the least at five, 10 and 11 cases.
A total of 117 was listed as unallocated.