John Hlangeni was the first person known to have died of the Covid-19 in the Free State. Refilwe Mekoa spoke to his family and found out more about how the dead church elder’s family was treated in Mangaung.
John Hlangeni was the first person known to have died of the Covid-19 coronavirus in the Free State. Refilwe Mekoa spoke to his family and found out more about how the dead church elder’s family was treated in MangaungThe man who died was 85-year-old John Hlangeni, a local church elder.
Free State health authorities traced Hlangeni after he attended a church service that resulted in the province’s biggest cluster coronavirus outbreak. The three-day church gathering was held on March 9-11. At least 895 people attended and more than 70 later tested positive for Covid-19. Madhi said what we now know about the virus is that most people that are infected won’t even have symptoms. “The purpose of screening in the community is to isolate those individuals, to trace their contacts and put them in quarantine to reduce the rate of transmission. It is impossible to test all 58 million South Africans and you would need to test them every three to four days,” he said.After Hlangeni died, his family was told to view his remains for the last time before his body was wrapped.
“A backhoe was used to fill the grave unlike what we’re used to in our culture where men use spades to fill the grave – to ensure social distancing. But Madhi didn’ agree with the municipality’s measures, saying there was no scientific basis for such recommendations. Vawda said there was “definitely a need for regulations” on the use and disposal of personal protective equipment and hygiene practices for all individuals handling the bodies of coronavirus victims.
But he also acknowledged that according to the World Health Organisation , there was no evidence of people having become infected from exposure to the bodies of those who succumbed to Covid-19. The department of health has developed Covid-19 Environmental Health guidelines, which provide more details.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Another KZN hospital closes as 19 test positive for Covid-19, including two babiesA hospital in Stanger, north of Durban, has closed its doors to new patients after 19 people tested positive for Covid-19.
Read more »
Another KZN hospital closes as 19 test positive for Covid-19, including two babiesA hospital in Stanger, north of Durban, has closed its doors to new patients after 19 people tested positive for Covid-19.
Read more »
KwaDukuza state hospital quarantined amid Covid-19 outbreak
Read more »
SA's Covid-19 death toll closes in on 150, as cases climb to over 7,500The number of South Africans to die of Covid-19 has climbed to 148, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
Read more »
SA's Covid-19 death toll closes in on 150, as cases climb to over 7,500Ten deaths were reported in the last 24 hours - seven of them in the Western Cape and one each in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Read more »
SA’s Covid-19 death toll nears 150The health department announces there are now 7,220 confirmed cases across SA, an increase of 357 in the past 24 hours
Read more »