Prohibiting alcohol sales during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has positive effects on health services in South Africa

Abstract

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic evolves globally, we are realising its impact on communities from the disease itself and the measures being taken to limit infection spread. In South Africa (SA), 62 300 adults die annually from alcohol-attributable causes. Alcohol-related harm can be reduced by interventions, such as taxation, government monopolising retail sales, outlet density restriction, hours of sales and an advertising ban. To mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, SA instituted a lockdown that also prohibited alcohol sales. This led to a sharp reduction in unnatural deaths in the country from 800–1000/week to around 400/week during the lockdown. We reviewed three 2-week periods at a large rural regional hospital: Before Covid-19 (February), during social distancing (March) and during lockdown with alcohol ban (April). A dramatic drop in patient numbers from 145 to 64 (55.8%) because of assault, from 207 to 83 (59.9%) because of accidents, from 463 to 188 (59.4%) because of other injuries and from 12 to 1 (91.6%) because of sexual assaults was observed during the first 2 weeks of lockdown. As healthcare professionals, we need to advocate for the ban to remain until the crisis is over to ensure that health services can concentrate on Covid-19 and other patients. We encourage other African states to follow suit and implement alcohol restrictions as a mechanism to free up health services. We see this as an encouragement to lobby for a new normal around alcohol sales after the pandemic. The restrictions should focus on all evidence-based modalities.

Trauma patients at the Helderberg District Hospital emergency centre, South Africa: A descriptive study

“…Although not investigated here, it is likely that harmful alcohol use, together with income inequality and unemployment are key underlying factors [ 6 , 9 , 16 ]. The recent alcohol ban as part of the national lockdown for the Corona virus pandemic resulted in an almost 60% reduction in assaults, accidents and other injuries and a 90% reduction in sexual assaults [ 31 ].…”

Behavioral strategies to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 infection

“… 142 While primary data is scarce, there is also public health concern regarding the increased consumption of alcohol during the pandemic 143 to the extent that some countries have limited bans on alcohol sales. 144 There is little information on the risk for COVID-19 disease and alcohol use and underlying liver disease. In one study, COVID-19 mortality was higher in patients with concomitant cirrhosis compared to controls, but the numbers of patients in the study were small.…”

Drop for drop: A descriptive analysis of blood product usage in a South African tertiary care setting during the Covid-19 pandemic

“…, 4. , 12 , 13 ]. While attempting to correlate this in the Tygerberg Hospital context it was noted that Tygerberg's record keeping of trauma admissions is still done manually in most areas which is inconsistent and difficult to accurately quantify.…”