South African Riots Add to Pressure on Strained Health Services
- Drug, oxygen and food supplies jeopardized by ongoing violence
- Vaccination rollout partly halted in two key provinces
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South Africans vulnerable to severe Covid-19 because of existing diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV and diabetes are at further risk as deadly riots put increased pressure on an already stretched health-care system.
Unrest that has destroyed hundreds of businesses and led to billions of rand in theft has disrupted access to essential health services in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces. Both medical staff and patients have been left stranded by barricaded roads and many clinics and pharmacies have closed.