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“We now have more than 50 people a day who have died in the last five days.”
FILE: Medical swabs to detect coronavirus. Image: EWN.
CAPE TOWN – The Western Cape is once again the province with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
ALSO READ: Government Will Evaluate COVID Rules As New Cases Emerge – Mkhize
More than 3,200 cases have been registered in the province in the last 24 hours.
“Our hospitals in the province currently have 2,000 people between public and private hospitals. That means if you have any other problems in the next few weeks – a heart attack, stroke or anything else – it will be very difficult for you to access medical care, ”said Western Cape Health Chief Dr. Keith Cloete. .
Coronavirus update
December 16, 2020As of 1pm on December 16, the Western Cape has 26,817 active Covid-19 infections with a total of 160,800 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 128,750 recoveries. Statement: https://t.co/pd4jUgHC9S pic.twitter.com/e0brND9vnc
Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) December 16, 2020
Cloete said the death rate was also cause for concern.
“We now have more than 50 people a day who have passed away in the last five days,” he said.
Our hospitalization numbers continue to increase. Help us protect the hospital’s capacity by making safe decisions this holiday season. We all want to enjoy the summer with our loved ones, so let’s protect them.
Wear your mask, wash your hands, and stay away from others. pic.twitter.com/45liCVN0Sb
Western Cape Gov (@WesternCapeGov) December 17, 2020
On Wednesday, the country once again passed the 10,000 mark when it comes to daily COVID-19 infections.
READ: Cele to report to coronavirus council after visiting CT beaches
The latest cases brought the known number of infections since the start of the outbreak to 883,687. The country’s positivity rate stood at 21%, which is far above the ideal rate of 10%.
The Western Cape was once the epicenter of the virus, accounting for 60% of all cases in June.
Another 166 people also died after contracting the virus, bringing the national death toll to 23,827. So far, more than 774,000 people have recovered.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) launched an urgent lawsuit on Thursday challenging the government’s decision to close Garden Route Beaches. The Garden Route, along with the Sarah Baartman District, were declared new coronavirus hot spots on Monday.
The beaches in the region have been closed until January 3, 2021, by order of the National Coronavirus Command Council, since meetings on the beaches could be potential super-spreaders. Cape Town’s beaches would remain open.
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