By getting high-risk people into care immediately, even if they are not feeling ill, many deaths can be prevented.
At the height of the Covid-19 outbreak in the Western Cape, a project was implemented that saved lives and has the potential to save many more.
This was why the provincial health department decided to try a novel approach. The department has access to a central database that captures the medical history of all patients who are treated within the public sector, as well as all positive Covid-19 laboratory tests performed in any Western Cape facility, both public and private.
Their condition could change dramatically within a matter of hours. When in a facility, they could be provided with care that may be difficult to provide at home – continuous oxygen, tight glycaemic control and rapid escalation to higher levels of care, if necessary. Our Intermediate Care facilities — the Hospitals of Hope: Cape Town International Convention Centre, Brackengate and the Sonstraal facility in Paarl — have fortunately been able to offer beds for these patients.
Sadly, there are many patients who the VECTOR team is unable to contact, or who died before they were contacted, but even when these factors are considered, the total mortality rate among this high-risk group is still reduced, with a total of 117 deaths out of 592 patients, about 20%.
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