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By Nicola Daniels 
11h ago
Cape Town – Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has been adamant that the Western Cape saw a 42% increase in Covid-19 infections, despite being questioned by Prime Minister Alan Winde.
Mkhize said a detailed response to the outbreak was being compiled, after breaking the news Wednesday night when he tweeted that the Western Cape had seen a “significant increase.”
MKhize said yesterday that the province had registered a 42% increase, and that the Western Cape Health Department had identified specific groups of Covid-19 responsible for the increase in cases.
“In the last seven days there has been a marked increase in the number of new cases in the Western Cape: the province recorded a 42% increase in new infections.
“It is noted that each of these groups (has) been investigated. A detailed response to the outbreak is being prepared, ”Mkhize tweeted.
However, Winde said the Health Department’s own definition of a resurgence is an increase of more than 20% in new cases over a seven-day period.
He said the Western Cape had not seen such an increase in the past seven days.
“The Western Cape government’s seven-day ‘moving average’ of new cases indicates 1,757 new cases recorded in the week through October 19 versus 1,546 the week before. This represents a 13.65% increase in new cases in the seven-day period, ”Winde said.
Yesterday, the Western Cape had 3,247 active Covid-19 infections, with a total of 114,534 confirmed cases and 106,979 recoveries. Winde said the initial cases linked to the group had recovered and the rate in that area had dropped.
“Any increase is a concern for us and has our government on full alert and responding. It is also important to note that many of the initial cases linked to the cluster have already recovered and the rate of new infections in the area is beginning to decline.
“Currently, there is great variability in the case load from week to week, so we will have a much clearer picture of what is happening in the coming weeks.
“We will continue to provide our data to the National Department of Health, as we do on a weekly basis, and we will always keep them informed of all changes,” he said.
Mkhize’s office did not respond to questions before the deadline.
Describing the road to recovery for the Western Cape, Winde said they would consider stricter times for alcohol sales, even after the expiration of national State of Disaster regulations.
“We will confront the Western Cape’s dangerous relationship with alcohol through smart interventions. Therefore, we will make a series of amendments to the Western Cape Alcoholic Beverages Act.
“As part of these amendments, the price ‘per unit of alcohol’, which makes it more expensive to buy alcoholic beverages with a higher percentage of alcohol, is being seriously considered because the evidence suggests that it may be effective in preventing excessive alcohol consumption. “. he said.
Meanwhile, South Africa had shown an average 2% increase in new Covid-19 cases, according to the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
CDC Africa Director Dr. John Nkengasong said: “As of 9am Eastern African Time today (Thursday), the number of cases worldwide has risen to more than 40 million and more than a million deaths. “
He said that the continent accounted for more than 1.6 million cases, which translates into 4.1% of the cases reported globally, with more than 1.3 million recoveries and more than 40,000 deaths. In the past four weeks, South Africa showed an average increase of 2%, he said.
In terms of vaccine trials, he said that Pfizer and BioNTech had begun enrolling participants in a phase 3 clinical trial of their Covid-19 vaccine candidate in South Africa. In addition, Astrazeneca had also resumed phase 3 trials of the Covid-19 vaccine in South Africa.
Cape times
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