As we enter yet another weekend under lockdown, in a little over a week, the second phase of the Sisonke Protocol vaccine rollout is expected to start, with the elderly population being prioritised in the fight against COVID-19 in South Africa.
How quickly the National Department of Health (NDoH) will be able to inoculate that segment of society remains to be seen, but for now the latest report from the NDoH conforms that 366 101 vaccines have been administered to date to frontline healthcare workers.
One of the other elements concerning the department of late is the potential of a third wave of infections. To that end the NDoH has been monitoring a number of districts in several provinces across the country.
“In the past two weeks, we have noticed a worrying trend of increasing numbers of detected cases in a number of districts. Free State, Gauteng, Northern Cape and North West are of particular concern but every province, with the notable exception of Eastern Cape, has at least one district of concern,” explained Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize in the most recent COVID-19 update.
“This reinforces the message that we can all play our part to ensure that these rise in infections do not turn into a third wave. We all know what it takes to keep the Coronavirus at bay- strict wearing of masks, sanitizing and avoiding crowded gatherings. The government can facilitate and intervene but ultimately we would rather concentrate on economic recovery rather than imposing more restrictions. Therefore every citizen must adhere to the non-pharmaceutical interventions if we are to avoid further restrictions,” he added.
As for the latest figures, the total number of infections to date sit at 1 590 370, with1 511 905 recoveries also being recorded. Unfortunately 63 new fatalities have been reported too, pushing the death toll related to COVID-19 in South Africa to 54 620.
The full breakdown of COVID-19 in South Africa is as follows:
| Provinces | Confirmed Cases | Recoveries | Active cases | Deaths |
| Western Cape | 287 571 | 273 981 | 1 996 | 11 636 |
| Eastern Cape | 196 196 | 184 416 | 210 | 11 587 |
| Northern Cape | 41 166 | 36 700 | 3 554 | 908 |
| Free State | 90 766 | 82 827 | 2 398 | 3 911 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 337 030 | 321 121 | 5 041 | 10 415 |
| North West | 68 486 | 63 405 | 2 881 | 1 725 |
| Mpumalanga | 78 712 | 76 454 | 991 | 1 400 |
| Gauteng | 426 380 | 411 549 | 3 231 | 10 728 |
| Limpopo | 64 063 | 61 452 | 295 | 2 310 |
| Unknown | 0 | |||
| TOTAL | 1 590 370 | 1 511 905 | 20 597 | 54 620 |
As always, in order to stay up to date with the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa and abroad, we advise the following materials and platforms:
- Dr Zweli Mkhize on Twitter
- COVID-19 Connect on WhatsApp – add 0600 123 456 as a contact and say “Hi”.
- World Health Organisation
- SA Coronavirus website
- SA Government
- SA Presidency
[Image – Photo by Tai’s Captures on Unsplash]
