W Cape spike not affecting Garden Route

GARDEN ROUTE DISTRICT NEWS - In the Garden Route, the total number of positive Covid-19 cases reported until 17:00 on Wednesday 6 May stood at 63 with no deaths and no infected persons needing hospitalisation.

A reader pointed out that although the number of cases in the Garden Route has remained "stable" at around 60, if testing was to be ramped up, he was sure the infection rate would increase.

Nadia Ferreira, district spokesperson for the provincial health department, said community screening is ongoing.

Furthermore, George Hospital has established a testing centre and has invited the public to come for screening and testing.

70 deaths in W Cape
The number of Covid-19 deaths in the Western Cape has risen to 72 (figure as of 6 May), the highest number in the country, with KwaZulu-Natal recording the second most deaths at just under 40. The total number of deaths nationally was 148.

On Wednesday 6 May, the Western Cape stood at 3 771 positive cases whereas the total for the country [on 6 May] was 7 808.

Spike in Western Cape cases

DA Shadow Minister for Health Siviwe Gwarube said last week the Western Cape's spike in Covid-19 cases is a result of the targeted screening and testing approach it has been following to cover as many people as possible.

Western Cape Health wants to be able to understand community transmission and prevent further spread in areas where people have tested positive, so they target such areas. She said the system has been successful and could be emulated in the rest of the country. A total of 3 800 health care workers are doing community screening and in addition, 320 stationary sites for screening and testing have been created.

Workplace screening is also done and that is why they have been able to identify businesses where the necessary protocols were not in place. These strategies also prevent the spread of the virus.

DA Federal Leader John Steenhuisen said that 16% of tests done in the country are in the Western Cape despite the fact that the province has 10% of the population. "It ties in with our strategy to test, test, test. The more tests you do, the better your data sets are and the more it informs how to manage the virus."

Lack of transparency

Gwarube aired concern over what she considered a lack of data transparency from national government. "How South Africa will move between alert levels will depend on four indicators, two related to community transmission and two related to health sector capacity. The public, health professionals, and other policymakers are privy to too little of this information."

She said the DA has been emphasising the need for comprehensive and detailed data which is publicly available. "Data that is credible is an important tool for public buy-in and building trust with citizens. It is also an essential accountability tool in order for people to understand how government strategy and decisions are made."

Death rate

National Health Minister Zweli Mkhize earlier this week said just over 400 Covid-19 patients have been hospitalised nationally to date. This amounts to about 5% of all Covid confirmed patients and is consistent with the hospitalisation rates that were seen in China. "Our mortality rate has remained stable at around 1,9%, since the first death was reported."