The mechanics of setting up a COVID-19 response: Experiences of the COVID-19 epidemic from Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
Marc Mendelson, L Booyens, Adam Boutall, Lydia Cairncross, Greg Calligaro, Joel A. Dave, Sipho Dlamini, Silke Dyer, B Eick, Karen Fieggen, P Frankenfeld, Jacqueline Hoare, Ross Hofmeyr, John A. Joska, I Joubert, René Krause, Annemarie Kropman, Dion Levin, Deborah Maughan, Graeme Meintjes, Elmi Muller, Ntobeko Ntusi, Nectarios Papavarnavas, Bhavna Patel, Jonny Peter, P Raubenheimer, Qonita Said-Hartley, Prasun Singh, Sean Wasserman
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has challenged the provision of healthcare in ways that are unprecedented in our lifetime. Planning for the sheer numbers expected during the surge has required public hospitals to de-escalate all non-essential clinical services to focus on COVID-19. Western Cape Province was the initial epicentre of the COVID-19 epidemic in South Africa (SA), and the Cape Town metro was its hardest-hit geographical region. We describe how we constructed our COVID-19 hospital-wide clinical service at Groote Schuur Hospital, the University of Cape Town's tertiary-level teaching hospital. By describing the barriers and enablers, we hope to provide guidance rather than a blueprint for hospitals elsewhere in SA and in low-resource countries that face similar challenges now or during subsequent waves.