Melomed Mitchells Plain ‘Covid-19 free’ after releasing patient

The 40-year-old woman was released on Wednesday after being hospitalised for a week.

CAPE TOWN, April 9 (ANA) – The Melomed Hospital in Cape Town discharged its last Covid-19 patient earlier this week, making the health institution free of the coronavirus for now.

The 40-year-old woman was released on Wednesday after being hospitalised for a week, marketing manager for the private hospital group Shameema Adams said in an emailed response to queries from the African News Agency (ANA) late on Thursday.

“Whilst we are mindful of the fact that there may be more Covid-19 admissions at the hospital in future, this key milestone is one that must not go unnoticed given the arduous journey that has been overcome in recent months,” Adams said.

She said the Melomed Mitchells Plain was one of the first hospitals in South Africa to have admitted and treated a Covid-19 patient, on April 19 last year.

It was the first hospital in the Melomed group to currently have no Covid-19 patients admitted, with the rest having also seen a major decline in cases.

“We nevertheless remind ourselves that we need to be alert and prepared at all times (for new cases),” Adams said, adding that all Melomed hospitals were fully operational for inpatients and outpatients, with specialist doctors available for all illnesses and medical procedures.

According to the health department, as of Thursday South Africa had recorded 1,554,975 Covid-19 cases, by far the highest national tally on the continent.

More than 53,000 people have succumbed to the virus, but over 1.48 million have recovered, translating to a 95 percent recovery rate.

– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa