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Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize says that all of South Africa’s provinces remain on high alert for a possible resurgence of Covid-19.
Mkhize said at a World Health Organization (WHO) press conference on Friday (November 6) that the country has managed to halt its’ plateau ‘of Covid-19 cases, but warned there are signs of’ outbreaks of cluster ‘and a slight increase in cases in certain hotspot areas.
“The concern we have to take into account is pandemic fatigue in the population, resulting in low adherence to public health measures, ”said Dr. Mkhize.
The Health Minister also warned about the exhaustion and fatigue of the country’s citizens. frontline healthcare workers. “A possible resurgence could be made worse by the previous two factors,” he said. “A delay in obtaining an effective vaccine (Covid-19) also keeps us vulnerable.”
Mkhize also warned that government resources are dwindling due to the effect of the pandemic on the economy. “We have had to move resources from various other government functions to really fight the pandemic,” he said.
Resurgence example
The Metropolitan Municipality of Buffalo City in the Eastern Cape has asked residents to remain vigilant and be careful as the number of new Covid-19 cases increased in the last week.
There are now 247 active cases of Covid-19, while the metro has been registering an average of 30 new cases daily, compared to the previous two weeks.
“These are the statistics presented at the Command Center meeting, which was held this week,” read a statement released by the city on Thursday.
Buffalo City has three main cities namely East London, King William’s Town, and Mdantsane.
According to the municipality, the majority of the cluster outbreaks have been reported in Quigney, East London, while the majority of the patients are students at the University of Fort Hare and Walter Sisulu University, and the surrounding residential areas.
Meanwhile, a high resurgence of Covid-19 cases has been observed in October in the East London sub-district.
Learning from other countries
Mkhize said that South Africa is learning from other countries that are experiencing a Covid-19 resurgence, including steps taken to quickly detect and respond to a resurgence.
This week, the UK entered a three-week lockdown until December 1, while France and Germany have also reintroduced more lockdown restrictions.
“A national action plan has been developed to mitigate the resurgence of Covid-19 (in South Africa),” Mkhize said. “The provinces are currently developing their resurgence mitigation plans that incorporate an early warning system for (the) rapid detection of clusters.”
Dr Mkhize said that this early warning system is capable at the district level, allowing the government to form an early response to an outbreak.
“All provinces remain on high alert for a resurgence. Every day we watch and observe where the groups are emerging. “
He said provinces that have detected new clusters in the past three weeks, including the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, have responded aggressively.
Resurgence
Mkhize defined a resurgence as an approximately 20% increase in the average incidence of Covid-19 cases (using a seven-day moving average) within a defined geographic area, such as a district, district, or province.
He said that an alert system has been established together with the WHO to trigger certain actions when cases are seen to exceed a certain level.
The government will track these surveillance indicators and then, depending on the level, identify and implement interventions and promote ongoing monitoring and evaluation.
The alert level is also color-coded as follows:
President Cyril Ramaphosa will brief the nation next week on South Africa’s lockdown strategy around the coronavirus pandemic.
Presiding Minister Jackson Mthembu said on Thursday (Nov 5) that the briefing will be based on a cabinet meeting and suggestions provided by the National Coronavirus Command Council.
Mthembu added that the cabinet is concerned that South Africans have become increasingly indifferent in their response to the pandemic and are no longer following lockdown regulations.
“Cabinet is concerned that some people are behaving recklessly and irresponsibly as if Covid-19 no longer exists,” he said.
“The cabinet calls on all people in South Africa to continue to adhere to the health protocols of practicing social distancing, wearing masks in public and washing hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based disinfectant, and avoiding large meetings “.
South Africa reported 1,866 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday (Nov 5), bringing the total reported cases to 732,414.
Deaths have reached 19,677, a daily increase of 92, while recoveries have risen to 671,579, leaving the country with a balance of 41,158 active cases.
Read: South Africa cannot afford to return to the confinement: premier
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