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The Western Cape government said it is deeply concerned about the increasing number of Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations in the province, which can now be seen as an established resurgence.
The provincial government said that a ‘resurgence’ is when the number of active cases increases, week by week, by more than 20%.
In the last week alone, the province has witnessed a 52.1% increase in new cases, with a pattern established over time, he said.
“There is also an established community transmission of the virus again in this province, which means that it is spreading within communities at a faster rate.”
This growth is primarily driven by two districts in the Western Cape: Garden Route and Cape Metro.
“Last week, we issued a hotspot alert for Garden Route, following an alarming increase in cases in the area. This increase has continued to gain momentum and there are now more active cases in the George and Knysna sub-districts than at any other point in the pandemic to date. “
The city of Cape Town is following a similar trajectory to this region and appears to be between 10 and 14 days behind. Therefore, the Western Cape government is also issuing a hotspot alert for the metro.
“It is important to highlight that the growth of cases in the city is being registered in each sub-district and it is not being driven by any area. This is verified by wastewater treatment tests.
“While the growth in cases across the province has been driven primarily by these two districts, we are also concerned about the Cape Winelands, which is starting to register a worrying number of new cases.
“The Overberg district, the central Karoo district and the west coast district are being closely monitored given their proximity to these hotspots.”
Increase in positive tests
The resurgence of Covid-19 established in the Western Cape is also reflected in the proportion of positive tests, which has now risen to 16%. This is comparable to the test positivity rate experienced in the Western Cape in early May 2020.
“My biggest concern is our health platform, which is under increasing pressure. We need to ensure that all people receive medical care when they need it, ”said Prime Minister Alan Winde.
“Hospitalizations reached a low of less than 500 in September, reaching 904 as of yesterday. There are currently 431 people in public hospitals and 473 in private hospitals in the Western Cape.”
In the latest 24-hour reporting period alone, Winde said the number of people hospitalized for Covid-19 increased by 54 people.
“Our Brackengate Hospital of Hope went from having just a few patients in September to 109 today.
“In fact, since the beginning of November, hospitalizations for Covid-19 throughout the province have increased by 63%. The private sector has increased 94%, while the public sector has increased 39%. “
Critical care admissions have increased by 75% since the beginning of November. This is particularly worrisome as admission to an intensive care unit is an indication of a serious illness that can lead to death.
“We need everyone in the Western Cape to help prevent a closure and to ensure that there are enough empty beds in our hospitals for those who need them,” Winde said.
“We must not have any illusions about the seriousness of the situation and how quickly it could deteriorate further. “
Fuller Hospitals
The Western Cape government has intentionally reintroduced key healthcare services at the facility because we need to provide comprehensive care to all who need it, not just those with Covid-19.
This means that hospitals in the province are already more full than they were at the beginning of this year, during the first wave of hospitalizations.
“We want to avoid at all costs having to downscale these essential services again because this will have a detrimental impact on the health of our people. We have to save all lives, including those without Covid-19, ”Winde said.
“Nor can we afford a blockade again, as is being witnessed in many European countries at the moment. Our economy simply cannot afford it. A lockdown would end jobs and make our humanitarian disaster worse. This will also cost lives in the future. “
This means that the only option available is to control the situation through individual actions.
“We have to do everything we can to make sure that we are not infected by Covid-19 and that we do not spread Covid-19,” he said.
National cases
South Africa’s national death toll from Covid-19 reached the 21,000 mark after 115 more people lost their lives on Tuesday (November 24).
Of the additional deaths, 45 were recorded in the Eastern Cape, 20 in the Free State, 19 in Gauteng, 16 in the Western Cape, 10 in Kwa-Zulu-Natal and five in the Northern Cape.
This brings the total number of deaths to 21,083 since the Covid-19 pandemic began in March.
A total of 2,493 cases were reported daily, bringing the total reported to 772,252. Recoveries have risen to 716,444, leaving the country with a balance of 34,725 active cases.
According to the latest statistics from the Minister of Health, the Eastern Cape has the highest number of active cases with 8,512, followed by Western Cape 7,880 and Free State 7,280.
KwaZulu-Natal has 5,645 active cases, Northern Cape 3,269, North West 1,230, Mpumalanga 373, Limpopo 373 and Gauteng 243.
“The cumulative number of tests performed to date is 5,325,631 with 20,288 new tests performed since the last report,” said Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports 58,900,547 global confirmed cases of Covid-19, including 1,393,305 deaths.
Read: South Africa has moved from ICU to high attention – economist
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