Recovering from COVID-19 requires specific steps to prevent the virus from spreading to family members and close contacts. When you live alone or need to be in isolation, you may also need some additional support. TFG Medical Aid Scheme (TFGMAS) members now have access to isolation hotels across South Africa at highly reduced rates.
Most people who are diagnosed with COVID-19 are expected to experience mild illness and can recover at home without intensive medical care. If diagnosed with COVID-19, you do however need to strictly isolate yourself from others. That is because the virus spreads through droplets and can live on objects, which puts family members and close contacts at significant risk of also contracting the disease.
Discovery has partnered with hotel groups to create specifically managed isolation hotels. This partnership provides members of TFGMAS who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or are waiting for tests results, a safe place to isolate themselves from their families. The first hotel group to offer the service is The Capital Hotels and Apartments, starting with the COVID-19 isolation and recovery facility at The Capital Empire in Sandton. This alternative to home-based isolation is available to members at a significantly reduced rate, and offers tailored medical support including access to nursing care, supportive over-the-counter medication and online doctor consultations, where required.
The Capital Hotels and Apartments has properties in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Scheme members are entitled to a reduction on the accommodation rate of close to 60%, with TFGMAS member rates starting at R950. The reduced rate includes three meals, specialised cleaning services and tailored clinical care. Any additional charges incurred are for the guest’s own expense.
You can access this benefit while you wait for your COVID-19 test results (two days) or after a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 (14 days, subject to healthcare advice).
If your doctor suspects that you have COVID-19 and you are waiting for test results, you are eligible for this reduced rate at one of the hotels for two days.
When you get a negative test result for COVID-19, any extra charges incurred during your two-day stay will be payable upon check-out on day two. With a test result confirming that you have COVID-19, the authorisation for isolation at the hotel will be extended as part of the WHO Global Outbreak Benefit, and you will be charged upfront for the remaining period that you will be staying in isolation (14 days in total, subject to healthcare advice). Should you stay for a period shorter than the clinically recommended 14 days, you will receive a refund of the payment you made for the additional days on check-out. The refund will be made via bank transfer to limit contact, or directly to your card if you prefer.
If your doctor suspects that you have COVID-19 and you are waiting for test results, you are eligible for this reduced rate at one of the hotels for two days.
When you get a negative test result for COVID-19, the reduced rate will no longer apply and you will receive a refund of the payment you made for the additional days. With a test result confirming that you have COVID-19, the authorisation for isolation at the hotel will be extended as part of the TFGMAS WHO Global Outbreak Benefit.
TFGMAS will make 24-hour nursing care available at the hotel. Nurses are registered with Discovery Home Care and will provide telephonic consultation and supportive over-the-counter medicine when needed. While this option is mainly for someone with mild to no symptoms of COVID-19, nurses will also make referrals for online doctor consultations or medical transport to nearby hospitals. The Scheme will fund online doctor consultations and medicine from day-to-day benefits where available and the TFGMAS WHO Global Outbreak Benefit as specified on the benefit letter.
When you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and do not need to be hospitalised, you still have to be in isolation – completely away from others. You need to do specific things to make sure the virus does not spread to others in your household. Isolating yourself at one of these hotels can help to keep family members and close contacts in your household safe. It is also an option to consider so that you are not alone while you are in isolation.
“Medical Scheme members with COVID-19 have extended medical cover in this time and we also opened online doctor consultations to more South Africans,” says Dr Ryan Noach, CEO of Discovery Health. “We believe the creation of these spaces for isolation is a positive step in providing South Africans with access to appropriate care and will be important in reducing the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. By supporting this initiative, we also hope to relieve some of the pressure on our healthcare system and to assist people to access the right environment and supportive medical care for isolation.”
Read more about all the TFGMAS benefits that are available during COVID-19.