Why is there an orthopod in my ICU? An orthopaedic perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic

We are a practice consisting of two orthopaedic surgeons working in private practice in Hilton where the first South African case of COVID-19 was reported on 5 March 2020. Isolation of Patient Zero at the designated government facility, Grey’s Hospital, was swift and aggressive. The patient’s general practitioner (GP), the pathologist who did the diagnostic nasal swab and other close contacts were all quarantined. Public response varied from anxiety and fear to an indifferent ‘It’s just like normal flu’.