A combination of the nationwide lockdown, mass screening and testing programmes has helped to slow down the rate of coronavirus infection in South Africa, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Tuesday night.
According to the minister, these measures have helped to give South Africa’s health workers the opportunity to cope with the onslaught of the disease, which has 4,996 confirmed cases and caused the death of 93 people in the country.
The resultant delay in the rate of infection has therefore bought the government time to ramp up its “war machinery” against the pandemic as the country prepares to ease the lockdown measures this week, Mkhize added.
On Monday’s arrival of the 217 Cuban doctors, the minister said the delegation was here to augment the country’s resources.
“They have particular strengths in community medicine. Their presence is helpful when dealing with an outbreak. We welcome them and want to assure everyone that the Cuban doctors will not take anyone’s jobs,” Mkhize said.
He said the Cubans would “work alongside our doctors.”
The Cuban doctors will be working in provinces across the country, focusing on hotspot provinces of the Western Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape.
NM/jn/APA