South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
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Multicenter Study
Estimating the surgical backlog from the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa: A retrospective analysis of six government hospitals.
The COVID-19 pandemic reached South Africa (SA) in March 2020. A national lockdown began on 27 March 2020, and health facilities reduced non-essential activity, including many surgical services. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic has created large backlogs of elective operations that will need to be addressed urgently. Clear and structured guidelines need to be developed in order to streamline the reintroduction of full surgical healthcare services as SA slowly recovers from this unprecedented pandemic.