More than 200 medical health specialists from Cuba have arrived in SA to bolster efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The group consists of experts in epidemiology, biostatistics, and public health, family physicians, health care technology engineers and experts to provide technical assistance.

“Cuba is known for its disaster preparedness and its consistent deployment of medical brigades for disaster relief wherever required,” health minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement on Sunday.

“Some of these highly skilled health professionals were in the front line of fighting other outbreaks in the world such as cholera in Haiti in 2010 and Ebola in West Africa in 2013.” 

He said before the group departed from Cuba, they were placed in quarantine to ensure that they did not have exposure to Covid-19 before coming to SA.

“As SA, we have taken an additional step which is in line with our lockdown regulations. This team will be put in precautionary quarantine as they await their test results.

“We will also use this period to fully induct them into the South African situational analysis and the various provinces they will be deployed to.”

Mkhize announced on Sunday evening that there were 4,546 Covid-19 cases in the country. The death toll stands at 87.

The Western Cape continues to have the highest number of infections at 1,608 followed by Gauteng at 1,331. The province with the fewest recorded infections remains the Northern Cape with 17.