Coronavirus and vaccine rollout update by Acting Premier Bonginkosi Madikizela

Update on the coronavirus and vaccine rollout by Acting Premier Bonginkosi Madikizela - 11 March 2021

As of 1pm on 11 March, the Western Cape has 2881 active Covid-19 infections with a total of 277 147 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 262 937 recoveries. A total of 21 400 out of the 25 960 vaccines received to date as part of the Sisonke trial, had been administered by 5pm on 10 March.

The Western Cape has recorded 10 additional deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 11 329. We send our condolences to their loved ones at this time.
Additional data is available on the Western Cape Covid-19 data dashboard which also features active cases per sub-district, active cases per 100 000 and 7-day moving averages. Access the data dashboard.

Earlier today, the Minister of Health, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo and Head of Health, Dr Keith Cloete, reflected on the Western Cape Government’s Covid-19 response exactly one year after the first case was confirmed in our province.

During the Digicon, taken live from the Disaster Management Centre at Tygerberg Hospital, Minister Mbombo also thanked all those on the frontline, as well as citizens, for what they have done during the last year to help save lives.

While it was a year of great loss, it also showed us that we can achieve anything when we put our minds to it.

Over the last year, the Western Cape has:

Opened world-class field hospitals in record time, including the Hospitals of Hope at the CTICC, Brackengate and Mitchells Plain

• Delivered millions of medicine parcels directly to patients, through partnering with Uber
• Pioneered the use of high flow nasal oxygen as a life-saving alternative to ventilation
• Rolled out Dexamethasone across our hospitals to save the lives of those who were critically ill
• Secured additional oxygen supplies for the Western Cape to manage increased demand during the Second Wave
• Launched the Red Dot Transport services, that transported healthcare workers to work and patients to Q&I facilities
• Reduced morbidity in people with Diabetes, through our award-winning VECTOR programme that monitored Covid-19 infection in this group
• Provided full and accurate statistics daily, through an online interactive dashboard, which has also won awards
• Committed to clean governance, by releasing a Covid-19 Procurement Disclosure Report every month
• Employed more healthcare workers to ensure we had adequate capacity to respond to increased pressure
• Added infrastructure at existing facilities that will create a legacy into the future
• Worked with Faith-Based Organisations to create awareness on safety behaviour, through a dedicated Faith-Based Organization Network
• Assisted businesses across the province to become Covid-19 compliant, to ensure safer workspaces
• Launched major communication campaigns to create awareness amongst members of the public, including street pole posters, radio ads, text messages and social media adverts
• Trained hundreds of healthcare workers to deliver Covid-19 vaccinations in the Western Cape
• Undertaken comprehensive planning for vaccine rollout in subsequent phases
• Provided pshyco-social support to healthcare workers who have dealt with great trauma during the last year

 
View Minister Mbombo’s full statement.