Media Release by Dr Nomafrench Mbombo Western Cape Minister of Health

“With holidays approaching, public urged to be vigilant - if you are gathering, remember to keep it small, short, distanced and outside”

The Western Cape Government is urging members of the public to be vigilant, especially as religious and other holidays over the next month result in gatherings of friends and family.

While the number of active cases in the Western Cape remains low, Covid-19 is not on holiday and we must remember to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.

Every time we gather, there is a risk we might spread or get infected by Covid-19, and this could result in someone we love getting seriously ill and even dying.

That is why it remains essential that we avoid the 3Cs, especially over this period, namely, crowded places, closed spaces with poor ventilation and close contact.

If you are going to gather with your friends and loved ones to celebrate a religious holiday, remember to keep it outside so there is good ventilation. Also remember to ensure proper distancing, and to keep the gathering short and small.

Get only one person to dish up the food for those gathered, and do not share cutlery or glasses.

Those family members or friends who are at high risk of severe Covid-19 infection because they are older or have comorbidity need to be protected.

And mask-wearing remains an important way to prevent transmission whenever we are with people who do not live in our home.

We must not allow what is an important religious time for many people in our province to be a cause for pain or loss because Covid-19 is spread, and someone gets seriously ill and requires hospitalisation.

By every person taking responsibility, we can prevent the spread of the virus and ensure that we continue to save lives in the Western Cape.

“The number of infections and admissions starting to plateau after a significant decline”

The Western Cape Government continues to use data and evidence to determine its response to this pandemic. Our latest data shows us that:

• COVID-19 cases and admissions in the Western Cape are declining but at a slower rate, pointing to a plateau.
• Deaths continue to decline.
• Using the 7-day moving averages of new infections, confirmed cases have declined by 5%, but admissions have increased slightly by 12%. Deaths have dropped by 17%.
• The proportion positive is relatively stable at 5.2% on 12 March 2021.
• With relatively small absolute numbers of cases, the percentage increases of cases can vary quite dramatically.

In the Cape Metro:

• Cases have decreased by 11% from 5 March to 12 March 2021.
• Mitchells Plain and Western Sub-districts are showing a slight increase, but the overall trend in the Metro is that case numbers are plateauing.

In the Rural Districts:

• Cases have increased by 1% overall.
• Cape Winelands District has seen an increase in cases, and clusters there have been identified and are being managed. West Coast has also seen a slight increase in cases.
• All other rural districts showing a decline.

Insofar as our health platform is concerned:

• We have 950 Covid-19 patients in our acute hospitals – 548 in public hospitals and 402 in private hospitals.
• Covid-19 hospitalisations have continued to decline, although there has been an increase in trauma cases.
• Metro hospitals have an average occupancy rate of 86%.
• Covid-19 and People Under Investigation for Covid-19 currently make up 6% of all available acute general hospital capacity in both Metro and Rural Regional Hospital Drainage Areas.
• The Brackengate Hospital of Hope currently has 12 patients.
• Freesia and Ward 99 have 5 patients.
• Mitchell’s Plain Hospital of Hope has 11 patients.
• Sonstraal currently has 1 patient.
• The combined public-private utilisation is now 19.28 tons/day, 27.54% of the maximal production capacity (70 tons/day) at the Afrox Western Cape plant.
   

“The number of healthcare workers infected with Covid-19 lowest it’s been since March 2020”

As of 17 March, there are 24 healthcare workers currently infected with Covid-19.

This is the lowest it has been since March 2020, and significantly lower than the period between the first and second waves.

With that said, the Western Cape has lost 123 healthcare workers to the virus, and we remain committed to ensuring our staff’s safety and mental well-being doing this time.

To ensure we have adequate healthcare worker capacity, we have also already filled 1 126 additional posts across the platform. 29 offers are pending which will bring the total to 1155.

We welcome these recruits and thank them for assisting the people of the Western Cape during this unprecedented time.