Why is there an orthopod in my ICU? An orthopaedic perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

  • J McAllister Hilton Life Private Hospital
  • R Smit University of KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

We are a practice consisting of two orthopaedic surgeons working in private practice in Hilton where the first South African case of COVID-19 was reported on 5 March 2020. Isolation of Patient Zero at the designated government facility, Grey’s Hospital, was swift and aggressive. The patient’s general practitioner (GP), the pathologist who did the diagnostic nasal swab and other close contacts were all quarantined. Public response varied from anxiety and fear to an indifferent ‘It’s just like normal flu’.

Author Biographies

J McAllister, Hilton Life Private Hospital

BSc, MBChB, FC Orth(SA); Midlands Orthopaedics, Hilton Life Private Hospital, Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

R Smit, University of KwaZulu-Natal

MBChB: DA(SA), FC Orth(SA); Midlands Orthopaedics, Hilton Life Private Hospital, Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

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Published

2020-08-26

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 3 (2020)

Section

Letter to the Editor