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Hospitals and healthcare workers face a twin onslaught as Covid-19 infections and deaths increase in the Free State and a violent service delivery protest causes major disruptions in Mangaung.
The province had 5,811 active cases and recorded 30 additional Covid-19 related deaths on Monday.
Mediclinic Bloemfontein private hospital alone had 81 Covid-19 patients and only two beds available in the ward at midday on Tuesday. Hospital spokesperson Barbara Steenkamp said there were no ICU beds available.
“It changes by the minute, we might not have beds available now but have beds available later,” she said.
Infectious disease specialist at the hospital Dr Cloete Jansen van Vuuren said hospitals in the province were under extreme pressure with the rise in the number of infections. Some patients were turned away due to limited capacity at hospitals in the province, he said.