Chronicle Editor
Andile Tshuma, Chronicle Correspondent
MPILO Central Hospital is running out of Covid-19 test kits which the health institution urgently requires.
This comes at a time when 197 members of staff are under quarantine after four people, including a nurse tested positive.
The hospital’s Clinical Director and Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Solwayo Ngwenya said on Tuesday that the hospital had appealed to Government for more supplies as test kits were fast running out.
He said 197 employees under quarantine were part of the 2 000 members of staff at the hospital.
Dr Ngwenya said the first group of those under quarantine is expected back at work this week and must be tested again. “We are running out of test kits and we have since appealed to Government to replenish supplies. There is a general shortage of these test kits due to increased demand globally. Everyone is trying to get them and we also need them as a hospital. We are expecting the return of our staff who are on quarantine. For the first group, their quarantine period ends tomorrow and we’re expecting them at work this week from Thursday and we need test kits to test them,” he said.
Dr Ngwenya projected the flooding of hospitals by Covid-19 patients unless people behave responsibly.
He said the conduct of most people especially in the central business district was worrying.
Dr Ngwenya urged Government to revert to stricter lockdown measures until the end of winter, which he described as a necessary evil to protect people from getting the virus.
“People are going up and about as if all is normal. You might think there is no lockdown because buses and kombis are always packed, no social distancing whatsoever and most of the reasons of travel are not so essential,” he said.-@andile_tshuma
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