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Tygerberg Hospital medical workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Images by Nardus Engelbrecht / Gallo via Getty Images
- The Western Cape government has disputed claims that Tygerberg Hospital is struggling with an increase in Covid-19 cases.
- His health department says the hospital has 17 cases and there is an overall decline in cases in the province.
- New infections, cases and deaths are declining, but the department says the best defense is surveillance to avoid the increase in cases seen in other parts of the world.
The Western Cape Health Department has disputed claims that Cape Town’s Tygerberg Hospital is running out of room for Covid-19 cases, saying it only has 17 positive cases currently admitted.
“This is well below the number of admissions seen previously,” said spokesman Mark van der Heever.
He warned the public against making false claims and spreading false news.
“New Covid-19 infections, deaths and hospitalizations continue to decline in the Western Cape,” he said.
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“While this is good news, we must remain vigilant and continue to do everything possible to prevent an increase in Covid-19 infections in the future, as is being witnessed in other parts of the world today.”
“Our best defense is to adapt to the new normal by always wearing our masks when we are in public, keeping at least 1.5m distance from other people and continuing to wash and disinfect our hands.”
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He said the Brackengate special facility had 23 cases as of Thursday and still had sufficient capacity to admit confirmed cases under investigation for Covid-19.
The hospital would remain open for the near future as part of the department’s preparedness strategy in the event of a second wave emerging, to ensure that sufficient capacity remains available.
Prime Minister Alan Winde also posted a message about similar claims on WhatsApp regarding the Groote Schuur Hospital.
“We urge the public NOT to spread fake news as it is illegal,” he wrote in a message on his Facebook page.
In the daily update from Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Thursday, the Western Cape had 112,012 positive cases out of a national total of 686,891. Eight other people had died in the province, which was the first to see an increase in cases. As of Thursday, a total of 4,239 deaths were reported in the province.
