Vaccinations have been suspended because of the violence that killed 72 people in South Africa, a country hard hit by a third wave of Covid-19 with an exponential increase in cases, caregivers denounced Wednesday, July 14.
Read also: South Africa: Zuma's imprisonment triggers riots
"
We have so far had to suspend vaccinations in Kwazulu-Natal
", a province in the east of the country affected in recent days by large-scale looting, the private hospital group Netcare said in a statement. The problem is mainly linked to difficulties for suppliers to transport stocks of medicines to hospitals, with transport between the economic capital Johannesburg and the east being hampered.
South Africa has been shaken for several days by thefts and destruction mainly affecting these two regions.
Initially caused by the imprisonment on Thursday of former President Jacob Zuma, violence has intensified in recent days against a backdrop of economic crisis and unemployment.
"
We had to face difficulties related to the shortage of staff, who could not go to their place of work,
" also underlines Netcare, which had to temporarily close certain establishments.
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In addition, in a context of exhaustion of nursing staff and overloaded hospitals, the reception of people injured in the violence "
exerts additional pressure
" especially on emergencies, adds the hospital group.
The NGO Médecins sans frontières (MSF), present in Kwazulu-Natal in particular to fight against Covid-19 but also HIV and tuberculosis, also indicated in a press release that it had had to suspend certain activities.
“
There is an urgent need to ensure that health facilities and supplies are not targeted,
” the NGO said.
Officially the most affected country on the continent, South Africa has more than 2.2 million cases and 65,100 deaths, including 633 in the last 24 hours.