Western Cape experiencing a COVID-19 resurgence

The Western Cape Government has expressed deep concern about the growing infection rate of COVID-19 and has since confirmed that it is dealing with a resurgence.

‘’A resurgence is when the number of active cases increase, week-on-week, by more than 20%,’’ explains Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde.

Over the past week, the province reported a 52.1% jump in new COVID-19 cases.

“There is also now established community transmission of the virus again in this province, which means that it is spreading within communities at a faster rate,” says Winde.

The increase in active cases is primarily driven by two districts in the Western Cape: the Garden Route and the Cape Metro.

The City of Cape Town is following a similar trajectory to this region and looks to be about 10-14 days behind. We are therefore also issuing a hotspot alert for the Metro.

‘’It is important to highlight that the growth in cases in the City is being recorded in every sub-district and is not being driven by any one area. This is verified by waste-water treatment testing,’’ says Winde.

The biggest concern, according to Winde, is hospitalisations, which reached 904 on Wednesday, after recording a low of under 500 in September.

‘’Critical care admissions have increased by 75% since the start of November. This is particularly concerning as an admission to a critical care unit is an indication of severe illness that might lead to death.’’

The Western Cape Premier called on everyone to prevent a hard lockdown, and to ensure that there are enough empty beds in hospitals for those who need them.

“We need every person in the Western Cape to help prevent a lockdown and to ensure that there are enough empty beds in our hospitals for those who need them”

‘’We must be under no illusion as to how serious the situation is, and how quickly it can deteriorate further,’’ said Winde.

 

Done By: Mitchum George