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As the 4th wave of the pandemic begins to sweep through the country, Mediclinic Southern Africa, along with all other healthcare providers, has mobilised all available resources to meet the pandemic’s demands.
Dr Gerrit De Villiers, Chief Clinical Officer of Mediclinic Southern Africa, says, “We have learnt from the previous three waves and have shared these lessons, across the organisation. This includes the increased oxygen storage capacity created at hospitals and coordinating bed capacity between our different hospitals.”
According to Mediclinic Southern Africa, data shows that a fourth wave has begun in Gauteng and is moving into the Western Cape.
De Villiers highlights, “The current wave has not yet had a marked impact on our facilities within these regions. At this time, we are seeing more cases coming through to our Emergency Centres but only a few require admission for further care.”
It is important to note that this wave’s patient profile includes younger patients and children under the age of 12, which is significant compared to the previous three waves.
“These younger patients are overall not critically ill. We are also noting a number of asymptomatic patients identified through testing on admission for other non-related procedures.
Impact of the Omicron variant
To date, according to De Villiers, there is insufficient information to understand the potential impact of the new Omicron variant on the severity of infections in South Africa.
“We are currently aware that it appears to be highly transmissible leading to a big increase in numbers, but are unable to provide further evidence yet on the severity or impact on the individual. So far, a lower percentage of admitted COVID-19 patients require intensive care and ventilation.”
Vaccinations’ impact on the fourth wave
According to Mediclinic Southern Africa’s admission data, currently, 75% of admitted patients with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated. Furthermore, 84% of ICU patients have also not been vaccinated. This means that those who have opted for the vaccine are clearly at an advantage in the fight against the virus.
Visiting hours and elective surgery
The safety of patients, staff, and doctors, according to De Villiers, is the hospital group’s top priority.
With this in mind, many hospitals have implemented revised visiting hours in areas with a high number of community infections. This is primarily due to the new variant’s high transmissibility.
In these regions, visiting hours have been temporarily adjusted, but family can contact the hospital for more information on specific arrangements.
Visitation access for NICU, obstetrics and paediatric units remain in place for all Mediclinic facilities. The staff on the wards encourages virtual contact between families and their loved ones in hospital whenever possible.
Importance of vaccination and adjusted behaviour
As the fourth wave continues to progress throughout South Africa, Mediclinic strongly emphasises the need for the public to protect their health and adjust their behaviour. This is done to reduce their chances of becoming infected with the coronavirus.
De Villiers stresses, “By adjusting their behaviour, the community can contribute to slowing the progress of the pandemic, thereby relieving pressure on the facilities supporting severely impacted patients.”
This includes universal masking, social distancing (particularly in crowded indoor places), avoiding closed spaces with poor ventilation, and practising regular hand hygiene.
Moreover, surface cleaning and avoiding social gatherings outside of an individual’s immediate family bubble are essential measures to take. Anyone who is not feeling well must stay at home to avoid putting other community members at risk.
Resources in place – only necessary in peak
De Villiers explains that hospital bed capacity remains fluid, and this dynamic situation is constantly monitored and addressed.
Measures are also in place, where possible, to increase the hospital group’s capacity in preparation for the fourth wave, such as the reallocation of non-COVID-19 units.
Other preparations include ensuring that the oxygen capacity and supply are sufficient to meet the wards’ supplemental oxygen requirements. “Where the surge is being experienced differently between our regions, we are able to move equipment such as ventilators to areas under pressure, and key resources such as oxygen availability are constantly being monitored.”
During previous waves, Mediclinic provided additional training to upskill nursing staff from other units to assist in high-pressure areas such as ICU and High Care.
De Villiers adds, “We continue to liaise with healthcare staffing agencies to assist in supporting our facilities with additional capacity where needed.”
Support for healthcare staff
In this pandemic, Mediclinic recognises the role of their healthcare workers. “We understand the tremendous pressure this places on their mental and emotional well-being. We have placed additional online and in-person resources to ensure that they have easy and appropriate access to the support they require.”
This is an ongoing focus area. Therefore Mediclinic South Africa “would like to thank the community for their ongoing messages and gestures of support. This makes a significant difference to the morale within our hospitals.”
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