7,000 Police Officers Test Positive To Coronavirus
A total of 7,021 South African police officers have tested positive to coronavirus.
The Police Minister, Bheki Cele, disclosed this yesterday at a news conference, while speaking on plans to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Pretoria.
According to him, 4,949 police officers have been quarantined with 150 hospitalised.
“This COVID-19 pandemic is indiscriminate, no one is immune; it even attacks those entrusted with protecting us. A number of justice, crime prevention and security cluster officials have tested positive. 15 inmates and 31 officials have died of COVID-19 and 53 police officers have passed away. We will break the transmission, If we are responsible during this pandemic,” Cele said.
The minister added that 3,688 cases of COVID-19 have also been recorded in South African jails including the 1,485 inmates and 2,203 prison warders.
It will be recalled that a total of 298,292 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in South Africa, so far.
But President of Association of Resident Doctors, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, UITH Chapter, Dr. Lanre Olosunde, said 12 doctors who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered.
Speaking with newsmen in Ilorin yesterday, Olosunde explained that the 12 doctors were infected in the line of duty.
According to him, most of the doctors had moderate symptoms which prompted the association to take proactive measures against the disease.
“We actually sensitised our members and that went a long way to help our members to prepare for the scourge. We had the course to write to the DG of Nigeria Centre for Disease and Control (NCDC), the Federal Government via our national body to help us and we got donations of Personal Protective Equipment from them. We also approached private companies in Kwara for help to which they responded well too. Presently, I will say we had a fairly moderate supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), though not sufficient. But as at now our members have enough of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),” he said.
