Experiences of COVID-19 survivors in Gauteng province, South Africa: socioecological implications for South Africa’s preparedness for future pandemics

Gauteng province was at the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. An understanding of the experiences of survivors in this setting has the potential to inform South Africa’s preparedness and response in future pandemics. We aimed to explore the experiences of survivors via a qualitative study conducted in Tshwane and Sedibeng districts, Gauteng. One-on-one interviews were conducted on 20 purposefully sampled survivors and carers. Analysis was guided by the framework methods. An explanatory model was developed using the social ecological model. As a result, eight major themes emerged from the study and included participants’ awareness and diagnosis of their illness, personal attitudes, quarantine and home care, in-hospital care, psychosocial support, illness outcomes, COVID-19 aftermath, and returning to normal life. The study findings revealed experiences that were intense and filled with morbid thoughts, fraught with physical and emotional challenges, highlighted the need for psychosocial support, and exposed the vulnerabilities and inadequacies of the current South African health system. These experiences implicate several individual, family/communal, health systems, and policy/government level gaps that warrant strengthening for better preparedness for future pandemics.