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COVID-19: lessons and experiences from South Africa's first surge.
Moonasar, Devanand; Pillay, Anban; Leonard, Elizabeth; Naidoo, Raveen; Mngemane, Shadrack; Ramkrishna, Wayne; Jamaloodien, Khadija; Lebese, Lebogang; Chetty, Kamy; Bamford, Lesley; Tanna, Gaurang; Ntuli, Nhlanhla; Mlisana, Koleka; Madikizela, Lindiwe; Modisenyane, Moeketsi; Engelbrecht, Christie; Maja, Popo; Bongweni, Funeka; Furumele, Tsakani; Mayet, Natalie; Goga, Ameena; Talisuna, Ambrose; Ramadan, Otim Patrick Cossy; Pillay, Yogan.
  • Moonasar D; Malaria, Vector and Zoonotic Diseases, National Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa Patrick.Moonasar@health.gov.za.
  • Pillay A; General, South Africa Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Leonard E; COVID-19, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Naidoo R; EMS and Disaster Management, South Africa Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Mngemane S; COVID-19, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Ramkrishna W; Malaria, Vector and Zoonotic Diseases, National Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Jamaloodien K; Affordable Medicines, South Africa Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Lebese L; International Health Development and Support, South Africa Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Chetty K; General, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Bamford L; Child, Youth and School Health, South Africa Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Tanna G; Policy co-ordination and Integrated Planning, South Africa Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Ntuli N; Monitoring and Evaluation, Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Mlisana K; School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal College of Health Sciences, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
  • Madikizela L; Community Services, National Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Modisenyane M; International Health & Development, South Africa Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Engelbrecht C; Health Facilities & Infrastructure Management, South Africa Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Maja P; Communications and Stakeholder Management, South Africa Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Bongweni F; Port Health, South Africa Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Furumele T; Communicable Disease Control, South Africa Department of Health, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Mayet N; General, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
  • Goga A; Health Systems Research Unit and HIV Prevention Research Unit, Medical Research Council of South Africa, Tygerberg, South Africa.
  • Talisuna A; Paediatrics, University of Pretoria Faculty of Health Sciences, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • Ramadan OPC; Health Emergecy Programme, Organisation mondiale de la Sante pour Afrique, Brazzaville, Brazzaville, Congo.
  • Pillay Y; Emergency Preparedness and Response, World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.
BMJ Glob Health ; 6(2)2021 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1102176
ABSTRACT
On 5 March 2020, South Africa recorded its first case of imported COVID-19. Since then, cases in South Africa have increased exponentially with significant community transmission. A multisectoral approach to containing and mitigating the spread of SARS-CoV-2 was instituted, led by the South African National Department of Health. A National COVID-19 Command Council was established to take government-wide decisions. An adapted World Health Organiszion (WHO) COVID-19 strategy for containing and mitigating the spread of the virus was implemented by the National Department of Health. The strategy included the creation of national and provincial incident management teams (IMTs), which comprised of a variety of work streams, namely, governance and leadership; medical supplies; port and environmental health; epidemiology and response; facility readiness and case management; emergency medical services; information systems; risk communication and community engagement; occupational health and safety and human resources. The following were the most salient lessons learnt between March and September 2020 strengthened command and control were achieved through both centralised and decentralised IMTs; swift evidenced-based decision-making from the highest political levels for instituting lockdowns to buy time to prepare the health system; the stringent lockdown enabled the health sector to increase its healthcare capacity. Despite these successes, the stringent lockdown measures resulted in economic hardship particularly for the most vulnerable sections of the population.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Communicable Disease Control / Pandemics / COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: Africa Language: English Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Bmjgh-2020-004393

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Communicable Disease Control / Pandemics / COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: Africa Language: English Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Bmjgh-2020-004393