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Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize told Parliament that the Eastern Cape was responsible for 50-55% of new positive cases being identified each day.
FILE: The Minister of Health, Dr. Zweli Mkhize, during a walk at Dora Ngiza Hospital in Port Elizabeth on July 23, 2020. Image: @ DrZweliMkhize / Twitter
CAPE TOWN – Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize said on Wednesday that he will head to the Eastern Cape to help deal with the resurgence of positive COVID-19 cases.
He told Parliament that the Eastern Cape was responsible for 50-55% of new positive cases being identified each day.
He said that an increase in cases in the Western Cape, mainly along the garden route, was also concerning.
Mkhize gave a brief update while meeting with committees on health and women, youth and people with disabilities.
He said that at the peak, South Africa was seeing around 13,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, but this was down to around 1,000 new cases per day.
“But now those cases have started to increase, and as they increase, we see that the increase is actually coming from the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape. More significantly, the Eastern Cape is now responsible for 50-55% of new positive cases on a daily basis. “
Mkhize said it was too early to say whether the increase in cases, deaths and hospital admissions represents a second wave of the pandemic.
“It is a cluster outbreak that is beginning to respond to what we define as a resurgence; whether it is the next full wave or not depends on how successful we are in containing that area.”
He said he would travel to the Eastern Cape.
“I will go there to analyze the issue of human resources at the local institutional level, we will also analyze the organization of the system at the local level and the availability of equipment (oxygen, etc.) at the local level. . “
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