By Staff Reporter
As part of the strategy to manage the resurgence of COVID-19 in the Province, the MEC for Health, Maruping Lekwene, again appealed to all community members to adhere to non-pharmaceutical measures to curb the viral transmissions in the Province.
In terms of comparative analysis, statistics indicate that the Province is in a Resurgence phase, according to the week ending on 2 May 2021. There are 1086 new cases compared to 1818 new cases in the week ending on 9 May 2021 and indicating an increase of 68%. However, exactly when the science will confirm the province is in the third wave is still unclear.
The Department has increased contact tracing and testing for Covid-19. On 2 May 2021, 5278 tests were conducted and again 6985 in the week ending on 9 May 2021. It represented a 32% increase in testing and the testing rate increased from 429 per 100000 to 567 per 100000.
Earlier this year, the Department raised a stern warning to communities that the Easter Weekend and the school holidays could drive a spike in new cases in the province. This was evident in Namakwa District with new cases identified in local schools.
Subsequently, the Department assigned its District Incidence team to deal with the potential resurgence in cases in Namakwa District. This intervention resulted in Namakwa recording the lowest daily infections in the last two weeks. However, Frances Baard and John Taolo Gaetsewe Districts, which have the highest population densities, are now showing significant resurgence.
The Department learned a lot of positive lessons from previous experiences in scaling up contact tracing, screening, and testing to reduce the rate of transmissions and flatten the curve.
“We are hopeful that the 3rd wave might not be as bad as the 2nd wave. However, the new variants whose presence identified in South Africa bring uncertainty about how it will affect us in the Province.” Therefore, the MEC urges communities to remain calm and do what is right by adhering to COVID-19 protocols.
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