[ANALYSIS] COVID-19: Where death comes wrapped in plastic eNCA
Sello Headbush, the owner of a Funeral Parlourh opens the door of his cold storage facility to check the situation during a load shedding in Port Elizabeth on July 11, 2020.PORT ELIZABETH - The tentacles of coronavirus have snaked into South Africa's Eastern Cape province, delving stealthily into its under-equipped hospitals and impoverished townships.
Her 45-year-old daughter Mpumie said she had feared her mother would only return in"a box wrapped in plastic". Now, as her mum convalesces at home, she is intensely relieved."I wasn't breathing by myself," she recalled of the days she spent on oxygen.She recalled many sleepless nights in a"full" hospital ward.
"It's a constant battle to move this system forward," said Dr John Black, an infectious disease specialist, blinking back fatigue at the end of a long shift. Over 800 healthcare workers have contracted coronavirus in the province, of whom at least 24 have died."This additional strain is taking its toll".Staff relied on"hand to mouth" PPE donations and critical supplies for patients were lacking."I found out yesterday," the nurse said, peering through the window on her first day of home isolation after testing positive with COVID-19.
"They came to view a body," he said, but because of the highly infectious virus,"we are not allowed to show them."
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