KNYSNA NEWS - Three nurses at the Knysna Community Daycare Centre, or Concordia Clinic as it is also known, have allegedly tested positive for Covid-19 and have been placed in quarantine, while other staff members are still waiting for their test results.
According to a source, all the staff at the clinic were tested on Monday and are awaiting their results, and the clinic was due to be closed until Wednesday.
A staff member who wanted to remain anonymous fearing for her job said on Monday they were told to go home and close the clinic for two days after a third staff member tested positive for Covid-19. “Last week two nurses tested positive and were quarantined while two other nurses were told to self-quarantine until their test results come out,” she said.
Clinic manager Dinky Stander declined to comment and referred Knysna-Plett Herald (KPH) to the department of health which is responsible for any communication regarding the clinics and the hospital.
'Necessary precautions taken'
Health department spokesperson Nadia Ferreira confirmed that the clinic was closed for Tuesday and would be reopened on Wednesday 27 May. “We don’t communicate individual cases but we can confirm that staff have tested positive and we are taking the necessary precautions through decontamination of the facility, quarantine and isolation of positive individuals and close contact tracing per protocol,” she said.
Resident Siyabulela Cita said after the first two nurses tested positive, the clinic carried on regardless. “There are people who may have been in contact with the two nurses but they were never tested nor tracked down to check how are they now,” he said.
Cita added the clinic should be closed as it is putting the lives of people at risk. “There are long queues and people are not monitored. There is no social distancing and that is happening in all the clinics in Knysna. There is a chance that people may be infected and are spreading the virus to other people in the location. So far there are allegedly 10 cases of people who have tested positive in the area close to the clinic,” he said.
Another resident, Gladys Nqunqeka, said the clinic was closed on Tuesday and there were people disinfecting the clinic. “I came to the clinic to check, but there is nothing happening. It has been closed and there are people who are busy spraying the whole clinic because of the recent Covid-19 cases that led to its closure,” she said.
'Community is afraid'
Nqunqeka said the community is afraid, as they do not know if they were infected by the staff who tested positive at the clinic.
A third community member, Ncendisile Mpini, said people were turned away from the clinic on Monday and were told they will be informed when it will be opened again. “The positive cases at the clinic could have been prevented if there was security at the door that could check the temperatures of the people and monitor that people are observing social distancing. We don’t know how many people have been in contact with the nurses who tested positive but the number is more than 10,” he said.
Mpini believes the focus of the government should be in the clinics because that is where the virus will spread. “People there are sick and the queues are not monitored… Everyone before entering the clinic must be checked so that we don’t infect the nurses,” he said.
Ferreira did not respond to specific questions relating to residents' allegations, but elaborated in general terms only. She said in the event that a positive case of Covid-19 is confirmed at any health facility, the health facility or the specific contaminated area within the facility may be temporarily closed to allow for the containment of the spread of the virus and decontamination.
“As per protocol, the facility or affected area will be decontaminated, deep-cleaned in line with prescribed infection-prevention standards and service delivery will continue with staff who do not pose a risk. All staff in the affected areas are screened,” she said.
'All close contacts have been informed'
Ferreira explained that testing will be done for those who are deemed at risk and they will be sent home while awaiting their results. “When a staff member or client tests positive, all those who were in close contact will be asked to quarantine at home. All close contacts have been informed, screened and advised as to their next steps.
"When facing a threat on a global scale, such as Covid-19, it is normal to feel anxious, scared, confused, and overwhelmed. Even more so, with the overload of information available and our numbers of positive cases increasing in the province,” she said.
“However, by limiting your exposure to other people, you can protect your family and yourself… We should try to avoid all physical contact with other people so that we can limit our chances of becoming infected or infecting others,” she said, adding that anyone can be infected with Covid-19 or carry the virus, even without showing symptoms.
Ferreira said it is important to take all the necessary precautions "to protect ourselves and our loved ones from Covid-19". "People who are especially vulnerable are those with underlying medical conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, lung disease, TB, and HIV,” said Ferreira.
The Knysna Community Daycare, also known as the Concordia Clinic. Photo: Tembile Sgqolana
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