More than 13 000 health workers contracted coronavirus

• More than 13 000 health workers – nurses, doctors, porters, administrators, paramedics and laboratory scientists – have been infected.
• South Africa saw its biggest jump in deaths on Wednesday of 572.
• There are 103 deaths and 6 394 recoveries among health workers as of Tuesday.

The coronavirus has infected around 13 000 health workers and killed more than 100 of them, the health department said on Thursday, as the virus takes its toll on frontline caregivers.

The country has the highest number of infections on the continent, with 394 948 recorded cases and 5 940 deaths as of Wednesday.

It is also the world’s fifth worst-affected country in terms of diagnosed infections.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize’s spokesperson, Popo Maja, told AFP that 13 174 health workers had become infected as of Tuesday, including 103 deaths and 6 394 people declared recovered.

The country’s statistics were unveiled as the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported more than 10 000 health workers in 40 countries had been sickened by the virus.

Strain

“The growth we are seeing in Covid-19 cases in Africa is placing an ever-greater strain on health services across the continent,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, at a news conference on Thursday.

“This has very real consequences for the individuals who work in them, and there is no more sobering example of this than the rising number of health worker infections,” she said.

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A combination of a recent spike in infections, staff shortages and a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been blamed for the infection increases.

A recent report by the National Institute for Occupational Health said hospital admissions of health workers were increasing weekly in line with the national trend of rising numbers of admissions.

The data revealed that by 12 July, around 2.6% of Covid-19 hospital admissions were healthcare workers.

Those infected included nurses, doctors, porters, administrators, paramedics and laboratory scientists.

Mkhize told Parliament earlier this month “since the Covid-19 pandemic, PPE supply chains have become severely constrained”.

Moeti said it was critical to ensure health workers “have the equipment, skills and information they need to keep themselves, their patients and colleagues safe”.