Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize on Wednesday said more than 500 health workers had tested positive for the novel Coronavirus.
Mkhize said 26 health workers were hospitalised and two of them had died.
About 149 health workers had since recovered.
The minister was speaking at the Job Shimakana Tabane Hospital in Rustenburg, North West, where he received personal protective equipment from Sibanye-Stillwater and Old Mutual as miners returned to work this week. He was accompanied by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe,
“We have a total of 511 health workers who have tested positive. 26 of them are hospitalized & we have lost 2 of them, a doctor and a nurse. 149 health workers have recovered. The contribution of the protective gear is therefore very important,” said Mkhize.
“Our health workers are like soldiers who go to war. They must be well trained, well armed and well protected. We want them to be confident that they are well trained, that they understand how they don’t get infected, and how they protect others.”
Mkhize said he was contacted by the Madagascar government who asked South Africa for help with scientific research on looking at herbs to help fight COVID-19.
Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina gave a long, televised address last weekend praising the benefits of artemisia, a herbal remedy increasingly promoted as a treatment for Covid-19.
It’s also gaining traction in other African countries.
However, the World Health Organization has warned it must be tested for efficacy and adverse side effects.
“We received a call from the government of Madagascar who asked for help with scientific research. Our scientists would be able to assist with this research. We will only get involved in a scientific analysis of the herb, but we are not at that point yet,” he said.
(Compiled by Inside Politics staff)
