ABSTRACT
No abstract available.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Education, Distance , Education, Medical , Students, Medical , COVID-19/epidemiology , Humans , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Facing the highly transmissible viral infection referred to as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that threatens human life, South African frontline healthcare professionals have faced a major challenge. Being one of the African countries with a higher prevalence of COVID-19 cases, this study aimed to assess the preparedness levels of emergency doctors, nurses and clinical associates in the Tshwane district of South Africa regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey using a developed and piloted online questionnaire. It was conducted in the casualty departments (emergency medical units) of seven hospitals in the Tshwane district of South Africa. Only emergency doctors, nurses and clinical associates took part. RESULTS: Of the 87 respondents, the mean age was 33.9 years and the minimum and maximum ages were 22 and 62 years, respectively; 37 (42.5%) were aged 26-30 years, 54 (62.1%) were females, 46 (52.9%) were single persons, 35 (40.2%) were medical officers, 42 (48.3%) were healthcare professionals with 0-5 years of experience and 21 (24.1%) were from a provincial tertiary hospital. Of the healthcare professionals, 63 (72.4%) were assessed as being prepared regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: The current online survey demonstrated a good preparedness level regarding the COVID-19 pandemic management amongst frontline healthcare professionals working in seven hospitals of the Tshwane district. An educational training programme on disaster management or the COVID-19 pandemic should be implemented to ensure that all frontline healthcare professionals are adequately prepared for current and future outbreaks.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Delivery of Health Care , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , South Africa/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
No abstract available.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines/supply & distribution , COVID-19/prevention & control , Healthcare Disparities , Mass Vaccination , Pandemics/prevention & control , COVID-19/virology , Global Health , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , South Africa/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presented a huge challenge to the health systems across the world. When the virus hit South Africa, and the state of national disaster was announced by the president, the healthcare system had to work on its COVID-19 response preparedness. Initially, a few hospitals were then designated facilities for managing COVID-19 patients. Kalafong Hospital, which was not amongst a list of designated facilities for COVID-19 was forced to evaluate its level of preparedness after an intern doctor tested positive. The objectives of this report are to illustrate the hospital's response around the management of the index case to share our facility's general response to the pandemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/transmission , Cross Infection/prevention & control , Infection Control/organization & administration , Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient/prevention & control , Tertiary Care Centers/organization & administration , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19/therapy , COVID-19 Testing , Cross Infection/diagnosis , Cross Infection/therapy , Humans , Internship and Residency , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , South Africa/epidemiologyABSTRACT
No abstract available.
Subject(s)
Communicable Disease Control , Cooperative Behavior , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Family Practice , Health Status Disparities , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Quarantine , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Continuity of Patient Care , Coronavirus Infections/ethnology , Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Humans , Pandemics/prevention & control , Pneumonia, Viral/ethnology , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Psychological Distance , SARS-CoV-2 , Social Behavior , South AfricaABSTRACT
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emergent public health crisis threatening the current world health establishment. The SARS-Co-2 was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. There have been about 6.5 million reported cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and about 350 000 reported deaths throughout the world within the last 6 months from the onset of the epidemic. The virus is primarily transmitted by inhalation or contact with infected droplets. The COVID-19 patient usually presents with fever, cough, sore throat and breathlessness. Currently, available data indicate that the majority of people with the disease have mild symptoms, while about 20% present with moderate-to-severe disease. About 5% of these may progress to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and multi-organ dysfunction. To date, there is no recommended medical treatment, and supportive measures are a crucial part of management. The case fatality rate of SARS-CoV-2 is lower than that of its two coronavirus predecessors, that is, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The full impact of this new pandemic on health, social and economic well-being of humankind is yet to be ascertained.