[ad_1]
The rate of Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations is finally declining on Garden Route after the district experienced a spike that was double its first peak, says Western Cape Prime Minister Alan Winde.
“A similar pattern is currently emerging in the metro, which is moving rapidly now towards its second peak, which should arrive within the next two weeks to a month,” he said.
“If this pattern of the second peak in the subway which is twice the first is confirmed, we can expect to see more than 90 residents per day dying from the virus in this district alone.”
Winde said data collected since March indicates that for every person who dies, 25 residents will land in a hospital bed, often requiring a life-saving intervention to survive.
“This means that we are likely to need at least 500 additional beds in the subway in addition to what we currently have and, more importantly, health workers to provide care in these beds.”
He said the situation in the province’s health facilities is exacerbated by residents who consume more liquor during the holiday season.
“Despite the restrictions on alcoholic beverages introduced by the national government in recent weeks, we have seen a minimal leveling off of the trauma case burden experienced in key hospitals, which means that our healthcare workers are faced with this additional stress.
Later today, the Minister of National Health, Dr. Zweli Mkhize, will visit the Western Cape to receive an update on our current Covid-19 figures and on our healthcare platform.
“These data, along with data from other provinces facing stress, will form the basis for your comments to the National Coronavirus Command Council, which constantly reassesses whether current interventions are adequate to treat the virus and protect our healthcare system and its employees. – to collapse, ”he said.
The total number of active infections in the Western Cape currently stands at 34,694, 61% more than the first peak. The largest single-day increase in cases at the first peak was 2,158 (June 29, 2020), but the most recent peak was 4,508 (108% more).
Currently 2,691 patients are in the hospital and 316 patients in the ICU, the highest number since Covid-19 first arrived in the province.
Read: What Vaccine Manufacturers Say About Mutant Strains of Covid-19
[ad_2]
