Pressure mounts on health sector in Sofala as Covid-19 cases rise

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Pressure mounts on health sector in Sofala as Covid-19 cases rise

3:12 CAT | 29 Jan 2021

Photo: O País

The health sector in Sofala has warned of the pressure to perform Covid-19 tests it has been subject to since the end of last year.

The two laboratories in the province capable of diagnosing the disease can process about 500 tests per day, but have been collecting up to 600 samples since the start of the year, with demand increasing daily.

“Presently, it is not possible to analyse 600 samples per day, so patients spend several days waiting for the results,” provincial director of health in Sofala Fino Massalambane said.

“Demand is mounting daily,” Massalambane says, with 1,213 individuals already diagnosed as positive for Covid-19, of whom six have died and 640 remain infected.

The health authorities in Sofala are also concerned by the crowding of countless families in schools for days on end as a result of floods caused by Cyclone Eloise.

“It is worrying, because we do not know their health status. Unfortunately, they are obliged to share the same space without observing social distancing”. Such “agglomeration can contribute to an increase in cases” and cause “the health system to collapse” as a result of its “inability to respond”.

The provincial director of health in Sofala says preventive efforts must be redoubled, especially as regards wearing masks and disinfecting the hands.

Source: O País