People may clap for the work they do, or sing for them from balconies, but 27 healthcare workers in the Western Cape paid the ultimate price for being at the frontline of the fight against Covid-19.
One doctor, 13 nurses, and 13 workers from other sectors of the health department have succumbed to the virus in the province since the pandemic was first detected.
The number of confirmed cases in the province spiked so dramatically that the health department could not keep up with the testing required as it tried to trace and test contacts with positive cases.
Last week, Groote Schuur Hospital nursing assistant Judith Parenzee said that, at first, they were not sure of what to expect, but once Covid-19 started filling up intensive care unit beds, "it is like war".
Parenzee has lost colleagues already - among them Sister Eva Isaacs, who had worked at Groote Schuur for 20 years, and Sister Patricia Coetzee, who was there for 34 years, including the intensive care unit.
