Secunda is considered a hotspot for Covid-19
According to Mr Liebenberg, the hospital still has everything under control, but he believes the peak is yet to come as holidaymakers return home before the schools reopen.
HIGHVELD – Govan Mbeki Municipality has last week been pinned as a Covid-19 hotspot in the Gert Sibande District and as one of the three hotspots in the province.
Those in authority referred to a “surge” in the number of positive cases.
A virtual meeting took place between the GSDM mayor, Mr Muzi Chirwa, the mayors, speakers and MMCs of the seven municipalities within the district and various stakeholders on 5 January, with a follow-up meeting by the extended external stakeholders on Thursday, 7 January.
According to information received, Secunda is leading by 50 per cent as a hotspot since December, followed by eMbalenhle, Evander, Trichardt and Leandra.
Bethal area is still fairly quiet.
According to the statistic from the Mpumalanga Department of Health, Govan Mbeki Municipality showed a total of 259 active Covid-19 cases on 9 January. The tally of positive cases reported is 4 608 of whom 4 284 recovered and 65 people died.
Although this is alarming, people should not panic or spread false information.
Mr Heinrich Liebenberg, hospital general manager of Mediclinic Highveld, said the hospital is busy and there are a lot of patients coming through the emergency unit, but no one is being turned away.
“The specialised units are under pressure, and if we do not have enough specialised beds available, a patient will be stabilised whilst looking for a bed, either in-house or at another hospital.”
Mr Liebenberg said with the second wave of the pandemic, they are seeing more, very ill people and the deterioration rate is much faster.
“There is no longer a pattern of mostly the elderly or patients with compromised immune systems. We now see an influx of people of all ages.”
According to Mr Liebenberg, the hospital still has everything under control, but he believes the peak is yet to come as holidaymakers return home before the schools reopen.
He urged residents to act responsibly by wearing masks, keeping to social distancing and sanitising regularly.
“This virus has no preference or barriers. No one is exempted, so follow the protocols to safeguard yourself and your loved ones,” concluded Mr Liebenberg.
Mr Nhlakanipho Zuma, executive mayor of Govan Mbeki Municipality, said the community has been hit hard by a pandemic that left many families incomplete.
“We send our condolences to all those that have lost their loved ones during the year.
“Death has not been the only tragedy as many of our people have lost their jobs, businesses and income due to the collapse of the economy of the country and many other factors including challenges with electricity and water supply.”
Mr Zuma urged residents to be prudent by adhering to regulations of wearing masks and sanitising regularly and to also assist others in adhering to the regulations.
Sasol, as a major employment roleplayer, was complimented by various roleplayers for their commitment to preventing the spread of the virus.
Ms Rethabile Ndjibu, manager: Social Impact, Sasol, said the company has proper measures and controls in place, which are aligned to the Department of Health regulations, to minimise the spread of Covid-19 in its facilities and to safeguard the health and wellbeing of its employees.
These include protocols to manage positive cases.
“We have a Covid-19 response plan, which has been implemented and communicated throughout our operations (plant and mines).
“This includes conducting regular temperature screening upon entry to our operations; enforcing the mandatory wearing of face masks all the time; disabling high-frequency contact surfaces and touchpoints, such as biometric access controls and keypads, and other high-frequency contact surfaces and requesting employees to declare if they or their family members have been exposed to a confirmed case of Covid-19.
“We have medical protocols to deal with such situations including clear isolation or quarantine procedures.”
Sasol also continues to enforce social-distancing and introducing de-crowding initiatives.
“Our protocols further include educating on and encouraging better hygiene practice and behaviour; imposing stringent travel restrictions for our employees and providing support at our onsite clinics for screening employees for symptoms,” said Ms Ndjibu.
