VN June 2020

Vetnuus | Junie 2020 2 The government made a brilliant start in the initial Stage 5 lockdown as South Africa did an impressive job of limiting the spread of the disease. However, they now seem to have dropped the ball in insisting on enforcing certain petty regulations that are more likely to frustrate the citizens than curb the epidemic. The SAVA, in collaborationwith the SAVC, has continued to engagewith the DALRRD via CVO Dr Mike Modisane to ensure that our Covid-19 veterinary guidelines are in line with the government regulations as well as lobby the state regarding important animal health and welfare matters. The SAVA Covid-19 Hotline has kept us rather busy with queries related to interpretation of the lockdown regulations and guidelines. The issues of sterilisations, particularly in AWO`s and shelters, adoptions/re- homing of abandoned/surrendered pets and pet grooming for health or welfare purposes have all been hot topics which we have dealt with and taken up with the government. We are pleased that we were able to secure approval for necessary pet sterilisations and grooming but are still waiting for approval of adoptions/re-homing as COGTA declared that this was not an essential service. V-Tech`s generous project to assist SAVA with public relations and marketing has been extremely successful in promoting SAVA and gaining exposure in many media outlets. As well as improving the public profile of SAVA and the veterinary profession, it has provided us withmanyplatforms toeducate thepublic regardingveterinary services during the Corona virus pandemic. It has also helped us dispel myths regarding Covid-19 and animals. Members of the public have actually contacted Katja at Mala Media for SAVA and veterinary information. Thank you again to SAVA Board Member Dr David Gerber, Dale Parrish, the other V-Tech directors and Mala Media for this opportunity. As we hopefully mostly head into Covid-19 level 3 from June the 1st, we must reassess how we approach our veterinary profession and our lives into the future. We must move back to a more comprehensive portfolio of veterinary services while still ensuring that the necessary PPE is worn and social distancing precautions are maintained. The veterinary profession can be proud of how we have conducted ourselves during the lockdownand it is crucial thatwe continue to act responsibly to limit the spread of this Corona virus in our country. I recently hosted an informative webinar, organised by Corné and Claudia of SAVETCON, with the Presidents of the North American Veterinary Community and the BritishVeterinary Associations. It was interesting how Covid-19 impacted veterinary practice in these countries and how they approached the crisis. The Americans seem to have refined their “curbside consultations” or just allowing the pet or one owner with patient into the practice at a time and appear to have not been impacted severely economically. The British have taken quite a knock and with the high population (and Corona positive case) density, suspect they will have to continue with split veterinary teams for some time to come. Here in SouthAfrica vet practicesmust be considering returning to a full staff complement to handle the caseload. We were initially concerned about the risk of the entire practice workforce being isolated and the practice being closed, if one member tests positive for Covid-19. It has turned out that this is not necessary in South Africa if your practice protocol, staff PPE, social distancing, health records and traceability are correctly in place. Please contact SAVA if you have any queries or concerns. SAVA has sent out a survey on the impact of the Covid-19 lock down on veterinary practices to its members and has requested that the SAVC forward it to all registrees. We request that as many practices as possible complete this survey so that we have accurate data regarding the impact of the crisis on the profession and our response to it. We can then follow up on how we may continue and improve our support mechanisms. SAVA has continued to engage with the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Onderstepoort to provide support for the academic programme and for the hospital. While we were able to provide input to keep the OVAH open during the lockdown, there has been a dramatic decline in cases seen. The hospital staff are obviously taking strain handling the case loadwithout final year students present. There are also major challenges with student learning and practical exposure and the Dean of the Faculty, Prof Vinny Naidoo, has just specifically requested that SAVA and its members assist with the From the President Greetings Colleagues, Leon de Bruyn As we head into our third month of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, we must not only reflect on what has occurred and how we are dealing with this unprecedented crisis now; we must also look forward to how we approach an uncertain future. As you are reading this the lockdown will hopefully have been further relaxed to level 3 in most provinces and areas. Many of us are now beginning to question some of the COGTA lockdown regulations as they seem to be less about controlling this Corona virus and more about controlling the people!