Western Cape now firmly in the 3rd wave

Cape Town - The Western Cape is now firmly in a third wave, with an average of 1969 new Covid-19 cases a day.

“We are in a steep 3rd wave, driven by the Delta variant and urge everyone to adhere strictly to protective behaviours, as a key drive to contain it. We anticipate that the 3rd wave could be as high as the 2nd wave. We await revised modelling from the SACMC, to re-calibrate our response,” said head of health Dr Keith Cloete.

The reproductive number has been over one for the past two months and is currently sitting at approximately 1.2. This means that for every 10 cases, there are an additional 1.2 infections, and therefore an acceleration in the curve.

There are currently 24 010 active cases. This is 6402 more active cases (36%) than the last week.

The combined public-private utilisation is now 47.20 tons/day and 2 283 Covid-19 patients in acute hospitals (963 in public hospitals & 1320 in private hospitals).

“I urge heightened vigilance during this time, as the risk of getting infected is increasing. You must do everything possible to protect yourself and your loved ones, so that we flatten the curve, protect our health system, and save lives,” said Premier Alan Winde.

The Western Cape’s dashboard also recorded 38 additional deaths since it was last updated on Wednesday, bringing the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 12 771.

To date, 540 713 vaccines have been administered in the province.

“I call on eligible residents who are 50 years and older, and who have not yet registered on the electronic vaccination data system (EVDS), to do so. To date, approximately 60% of those who are 60 years and older in the province have registered for their vaccine. Of which, nearly 50% of these have attended their appointment and received their vaccine,” Winde added.

Assessments have also been carried out at the Athlone Stadium, set to become a mass vaccination site. This site will be able to accommodate a mix of fixed vaccination stations and drive-through stations.

It is likely that this site will be brought on board as a mass site five to six weeks after the Cape Town International Convention Centre which went live this week.

The registration process can be done by visiting https://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za/#/ (the link can also be found on www.westerncape.gov.za) or dial *134*832# and follow the prompts (FREE on all South African Networks). Alternatively one can WhatsApp the word REGISTER to 0600 123456.

Cape Times