South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
-
The global COVID-19 pandemic caused many countries to institute nationwide lockdowns to limit the spread of the disease. ⋯ The SA national COVID-19 lockdown resulted in a substantial decrease in the number of patients presenting to the emergency centre. It is yet to be seen how quickly emergency centre volumes will recover as lockdown measures are eased.
-
The COVID-19 pandemic has strained healthcare delivery systems in a number of southern African countries. Despite this, it is imperative that malaria control and elimination activities continue, especially to reduce as far as possible the number and rate of hospitalisations caused by malaria. ⋯ The aim of this review is therefore to present innovative ideas for the timely implementation of malaria control without increasing the risk of COVID-19 to healthcare workers and communities. Specific recommendations for parasite and vector surveillance, diagnosis, case management, mosquito vector control and community outreach and sensitisation are given.
-
Case Reports
Prolonged treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia with high-flow nasal oxygen: A story of oxygen and resilience.
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed significant strain on the oxygen delivery infrastructure of health facilities in resource-constrained health systems. In this case report, we describe a patient with severe COVID-19 pneumonia who was managed with high-flow nasal oxygen for 40 days, with an eventual successful outcome. We discuss the oxygen delivery infrastructure needed to offer this intervention, as well as the psychosocial impact on those undergoing treatment.
-
Fungal co-infections, especially with Aspergillus and Candida species, are prevalent in hospitalised COVID-19 patients, and could influence patient outcomes and hamper treatment efforts. However, information about and elucidation of the causal relationship between fungal co-infections and COVID-19 disease outcomes or severity in patients are still lacking. Such information, if and when available, will help facilitate appropriate case management.
-
Understanding the pattern of deaths from COVID-19 in South Africa (SA) is critical to identifying individuals at high risk of dying from the disease. The Minister of Health set up a daily reporting mechanism to obtain timeous details of COVID-19 deaths from the provinces to track mortality patterns. ⋯ Data collection for COVID-19 deaths in provinces must be standardised. Even though the data had limitations, these findings can be used by the SA government to manage the pandemic and identify individuals who are at high risk of dying from COVID-19.