WHO Deploys Dozens of Experts to South Africa to Help Slow C
Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2020 3:31 am
People working in the fitness industry protest in Cape Town, South Africa, Aug. 5, 2020. The industry's governing body, FitSA, estimates that more than 115,000 people have been affected by coronavirus lockdown regulations.
A team of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) is in South Africa to help the country get control of its rapid rise in coronavirus cases.
The WHO said in a statement that 43 experts in specialties including, epidemiology, health education, and surveillance, prevention and control will support the COVID-19 response team.
The WHO's surge team will first observe the work of South Africa's health department before lending special support to the hardest-hit jurisdictions, including Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal, and Mpumalanga.
The rise in the spread of the virus has pushed South Africa to nearly 530,000 cases, the fifth highest in the world.
South Africa has confirmed more than 9,200 deaths from the coronavirus.
In a separate development, Health Minister Dr. Zwelini Mkhize said, cases in Gauteng, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape have slowed but it’s too early to determine if the cases have peaked.