FOR the month of January, the Kouga area has seen a major decrease in cases of COVID-19, which Sister Cathy Brown-Edwards, who is a clinical programme co-ordinator for the Kouga subdistrict, attributes to the implementation of alert level three of lockdown.
Brown-Edwards is responsible for monitoring the implementation of communicable diseases, which include COVID-19, HIV and tuberculosis, at 26 clinics, 10 mobile units, one community health centre and four hospitals in Kouga, Kareedouw and Kirkwood.
She said in December 2020, Kouga had a total of 1 462 new cases and by January 22, there were only a total of 317 cases.
She said the implementation of alert level three of lockdown, including the limited number of people allowed at social gatherings, the alcohol ban, the re-enforcing of the wearing of masks and the curfew, had assisted in ensuring a decrease in the total number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases in Kouga.
“Alert level three and the alcohol ban also helped to decrease the pressure at Humansdorp Hospital, as there were no admissions related to violence or assaults of any kind in January,” said Brown-Edwards.
However, despite the decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases, Brown-Edwards said that since the start of the second wave they had noticed that patients had found it more difficult to recover from COVID-19 symptoms and often developed new symptoms more than one week after their diagnosis.
“We have found that with the second wave, patients who were initially asymptomatic have been developing symptoms on days six and seven.
“In addition, we have found that patients succumb to COVID-19 on day 10 or 11, as their symptoms worsen, especially in patients with comorbidities, as well as our elderly patients,” she said.
Brown-Edwards further said health care workers in Kouga had been experiencing a mixture of feelings since the start of the pandemic.
“Many health care workers often feel overwhelmed at times, with the number of confirmed cases that need attention and with the increase in hospital admissions.
“At some point there were not enough beds at our hospitals, but with the assistance from our colleagues at other health institutions, such as BJ Vorster Hospital in Kareedouw, the field hospital in Port Elizabeth and other private hospitals, we were able to arrange for admission for those who needed assistance,” said Brown-Edwards.
She further said teams at primary health care facilities often felt overwhelmed with having to attend to chronic patients, non-COVID-19 patients and COVID-19 patients in the community.
Despite the pressure felt by health care workers in the area, Brown-Edwards said they often felt hopeful when looking at the number of patients who had recovered from COVID-19.
“We want to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of our front-line staff and essential workers who work collectively to fight the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Brown-Edwards.
She said she was hopeful that through the collaborative efforts from all the communities, stakeholders, and the various government departments, they would be able to maintain the downward trend of new cases in Kouga.
“To ensure that there are fewer COVID-19 cases in the Kouga area in the next few weeks and months, people should maintain social distancing, wear their masks and wash or sanitise their hands.
“This will help us protect ourselves, family and community members,” said Brown-Edwards.
