Parts of Netcare’s Kingsway Hospital in Amanzimtoti have been shut down after some staff and patients tested positive for COVID-19. Regional director of Netcare, Craig Murphy, said in a statement that the origin of the exposure was traced to a patient who was admitted via the emergency department on 4 April with a suspected stroke. Murphy said the patient was screened for COVID-19 symptoms. The patient did not exhibit any signs of the virus.
“During his hospitalisation, the patient was visited by his general practitioner on the evening of 7 April who mentioned to the treating specialist that he had recently treated [the patient] for flu-like symptoms on 1 April.
“The treating specialist requested a COVID-19 test as a precautionary measure, even though the patient was still asymptomatic. At the same time, the patient was placed in isolation as a person under investigation (PUI). The test results of the patient came back on 8 April confirming that the patient had a COVID-19 infection.
The hospital has been temporarily closed for new admissions. Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala says he believes the spike in COVID-19 cases at St Augustine Hospital is due to negligence. The hospital’s management is being probed after 48 of its staff members tested positive for the virus.
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Source: eNCA
