The coronavirus-death toll has reached an epic 812. A whopping 37, 000 plus cases of infections have been reported. In the meantime, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed a decline in the rate of coronavirus incidents.
South African (SA) citizens, students in particular, are appealing to the (SA) government to rescue them from coronavirus lockdown in Wuhang, the Hubei provincial capital city in China believed to be the source of the deadly virus.
Speaking on South African Broadcasting Corporations (SABC), a student based in Wuhang, has pleaded with government officials to engage Chinese authorities to be rescued along with fellow South Africans based at the heartland of the outbreak. He said they are grounded at the university in Wuhang and are prohibited to venture out.
On Sunday Feb. 9, 2020, the China Global Television Network (CGTN) confirmed 812 in China and 1 abroad coronavirus-related deaths, 37,251 infections in China, 316 abroad and [o]over 2,649 recovered patients.
Coronavirus has surpassed the “SARS epidemic of 2002-3, which also began in China, killed 774 people worldwide,” The New Times reported today.
Additionally, “experts warn,” says the CGTN, “of the risk of reinfection in recovered patients”.
Assistant Editor Adam Felman of the Medical News Today (MNT) Knowledge Center said thirty-seven (37) countries have been affected by coronavirus to date.
Causes and Symptoms of the Coronavirus
It is largely reported that the spread of coronavirus is admittedly caused by droplets from coughing and sneezing, touching or shaking hands with infected persons or touching contaminated surfaces and/or objects and then touching your nose, eyes, or mouth. MNT stressed that “[o]n rare occasions, a coronavirus may spread through contact with feces”.
The 2018-nCoV common symptoms are “fever, breathlessness and cough” noticeable within two weeks.
It is highly suspected that coronavirus at Wuhang, it’s epicenter, was caused by wild-animal meat sold in China’s meat market. As a matter of urgency, China has imposed a ban on wild meat.
In the intervening period there is no remedy for coronavirus. People are urged to practice clean hygiene and register suspicious incidents associated with the agonizing virus.
Botswana
There were concerns when few cases of the lethal virus emerged in Botswana, the souther-most part of Africa. APA News reported that:
“[a]ll five suspected cases of Novel Coronavirus in Botswana have tested negative, health authorities announced on Thursday“.
South Africa
In South Africa, a suspected patient who displayed symptoms of the coronavirus was isolated in Limpopo Hospital. The provincial MEC of Health Dr. Phophi Ramathuba said the patient has been cleared and released.
At the border posts, the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) has been roped in to screen everyone who enters the country.
Even so, there are concerns about the sufficiency of precautionary interventions and/or information to indicate SA’s readiness to handle coronavirus. Views air of Talk Radio 702 on Eusebius McKaiser’s midmorning show.
Officially, Dr Zweli Mkhize the SA Minister of Health, has assured the country of any emergency case that the government stands ready to deal with the scourge of the virus.
Moreover, there are a number of hospitals that have been selected as (suspected-) patient screening and treatment centers across South Africa. The following hospitals are on standby:
In Gauteng Province:
- Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital;
- Steve Biko Academic Hospital; and
- Tembisa Hospital
Limpopo:
- Polokwane Hospital
Mpumalanga:
- Rob Ferreira in Mbombela (Nelspruit)
North West:
- Klerksdorp Hospital
Free State:
- Pelonomi Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein
KwaZulu-Natal:
- Grey’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg
Eastern Cape:
- Livingstone Hospital in Nelson Mandela Bay (PE)
Northern Cape:
- Kimberley Hospital
Western Cape:
- Tygerberg Hospital
A matter of a curious nature begs a reminder. The inclusion of Tembisa Hospital in Gauteng as a coronavirus facility in waiting is quite intriguing.
Ten (10) babies lost their innocent pretty lives at Tembisa Hospital in light of the Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) outbreak due to hygiene issues late last year. It was widely reported also that lack of capacity and overworked staff were among the causal effects at the overcrowded hospital.
The government of SA has deemed it fit to factor it in notwithstanding the extreme demanding nature of the severe coronavirus.
While other countries are evacuating their citizens from China, South Africans will keep holding out their hopes far in the Asian pacific for a government charter plane to airlift them out of the terminal 2019-nCoV scourge hold.