CORONAVIRUS FAQs

Fedhealth understands our members’ concern around the Coronavirus (COVID-19), but armed with the right facts, the right behaviours and the support of your Scheme, there’s no reason to panic. All hospitals have confirmed readiness and know the protocol they must follow. 

Please take the time to read through the information below from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD):

1. WHAT IS THE CORONAVIRUS?

Human coronaviruses are common throughout the world. The name corona refers to a crown because these viruses have crown-like spikes on their surface when viewed under an electron microscope. There are many different coronaviruses identified in animals but only a small number of these can cause disease in humans. Some coronaviruses such as 229E, NL63, OC43 and HKU1 are common causes of illness, including respiratory illness, in humans throughout the world. Sometimes coronaviruses infecting animals can evolve to cause disease in humans and become a new (novel) coronavirus for humans.

2. WHERE DID THE CORONAVIRUS ORIGINATE?

On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) China country office reported a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been confirmed as the causative virus of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Several provinces in China and other countries have also reported cases. Most cases to date have links to China and person-to-person spread has been confirmed.

3. WHICH PRECAUTIONS CAN YOU TAKE?

The NICD encourages the public to continue practising hand hygiene and cough etiquette, and adhering to the following:

• Avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment.
• Don’t visit markets where live animals are sold.
• Travellers with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing and wash hands).
• Health practitioners should provide travellers with information to reduce the general risk of acute respiratory infections, via travel health clinics, travel agencies, conveyance operators and at points of entry. Travellers should self-report if they feel ill.

4. WHEN SHOULD YOU CALL YOUR GP?

Currently, the NICD lab is the only one testing for Coronavirus. So if you, or a loved one, meet the following criteria, please call your GP (don’t visit their rooms in case you might risk infecting others):

Criteria for Person Under Investigation (PUI)

Persons with acute respiratory illness with sudden onset of at least one of the following: cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or fever [≥ 38°C (measured) or history of fever (subjective)] irrespective of admission status.

AND

In the 14 days prior to onset of symptoms, met at least one of the following epidemiological criteria:

• Were in close contact¹ with a confirmed² or probable³ case of SARS-CoV-2 infection;

OR

• Had a history of travel to areas with presumed ongoing community transmission of SARS-CoV-2; i.e., Mainland China, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Iran, Hong Kong, Italy, Vietnam and Taiwan

OR

• Worked in, or attended a healthcare facility where patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections were being treated

OR

• Admitted with severe pneumonia of unknown aetiology

5. HOW DOES FEDHEALTH COVER CORONAVIRUS?

Because COVID-19 came as an outbreak and is a notifiable condition, the costs for any positive-testing admissions and testing of our members will be carried by Fedhealth, according to our Scheme Rules.

Important note: If you’ve had no travel or contact with people with known infection, your risk for contracting Coronavirus is VERY LOW.

We will keep you updated should the situation change, so in the meantime let’s keep practising good hand and cough hygiene and look out for one another.

¹Close contact: A person having had face-to-face contact or was in a closed environment with a COVID-19 case; this includes, amongst others, all persons living in the same household as a COVID-19 case and, people working closely in the same environment as a case. A healthcare worker or other person providing direct care for a COVID-19 case, while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment or PPE (e.g., gowns, gloves, NIOSH-certified disposable N95 respirator, eye protection). A contact in an aircraft sitting within two seats (in any direction) of the COVID-19 case, travel companions or persons providing care, and crew members serving in the section of the aircraft where the index case was seated.

²Confirmed case: A person with laboratory confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection, irrespective of clinical signs and symptoms.

³Probable case: A PUI for whom testing for SARS-CoV-2 is inconclusive (the result of the test reported by the laboratory) or for whom testing was positive on a pan-coronavirus assay.

(Source: http://www.nicd.ac.za/diseases-a-z-index/covid-19/)

DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are experiencing symptoms or need health advice, please consult a healthcare professional.