Durban's biggest private hospital took extraordinary measures to shut down its emergency ward and ban new admissions after the deaths of three patients from Covid-19 in 72 hours.
Durban's biggest private hospital, St Augustine's, may be closed entirely if the Covid-19 situation there gets worse. 'There is a strong possibility that we may shut down the entire hospital,' said KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala.Durban's biggest private hospital took extraordinary measures to shut down its emergency ward and ban new admissions after the deaths there of three patients from Covid-19 in 72 hours.
The measures came shortly after KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala announced during a media conference in Durban on Friday afternoon that the provincial government was in consultation with the private hospital to consider shutting after 11 health-care workers tested positive for Covid-19. In a statement on Friday, Dr Richard Friedland, CEO of the Netcare Group, said the hospital had taken a decision to close its emergency unit and test all staff who might have come into contact with the patients.
“Two of the patients were first admitted to the hospital on March 9 and 13 respectively, and the third patient on March 14. These patients did not have a history of recent international travel or known contact with a person who was Covid-19 positive, nor did they present with any symptoms of Covid-19 when they were screened on admission,” said Friedland.
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