Dr Natalie Collis, doctor at the Covid-19 Clinic (Dr Swart and Partners) in Ermelo, urged residents to heed to the president’s call to adopt the appropriate safety measures as South Africa faces the second wave of Covid-19.

She stated that during this wave there have been a substantial number of new cases locally and unfortunately deaths too.

The Covid-19 Clinic was established in July 2020, when the first wave hit South Africa.

According to Dr Collis, there was enough time before the first wave to prepare; now there are hardly any beds available and often times, people die before they can be transferred.

“After Christmas we noticed a significant spike in cases with the virus now spreading even faster between people.”

The surge in new cases means Dr Collis now has to attend to up to 50 patients a day.

“The patients’ oxygen levels seem to be dropping lower and a lot faster than previously.”

Patients with an oxygen saturation rate, commonly referred to as “sats” (measures the percentage of hemoglobin binding sites in the bloodstream occupied by oxygen) above 90% are average, but the clinic now sees patients with rates ranging from 60% to 70%.

Read the complete article in the Highvelder newspaper.

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