Two big organisations operating in the Eastern Cape as hospitals buckle under the weight of an increased patient load due to Covid-19 infections and an increased number of health workers falling ill or required to isolate themselves this week highlighted the need for a rapid response to the human resources challenges brought about by the pandemic’s second wave.
While the latest outbreak of coronavirus infections in the Eastern Cape was isolated to Nelson Mandela Bay and the Sarah Baartman district (large parts of the Karoo, but also the towns of Kareedouw and popular holiday towns such as Jeffreys Bay) the latest epidemiological report for the province showed that between Wednesday 9 December and Thursday 10 December, 44% of new cases were from the Buffalo City Metro (East London), the Chris Hani district (including Komani, Cradock and Middelburg) and 17.7% from Alfred Nzo and the OR Tambo districts (in the former Transkei and Ciskei).