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
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