Durban: The KZN Health MEC has sounded alarm bells following the rising number of Covid-19 infections.
Nomagugu Simelane said cases peaked over the weekend, with eThekwini Municipality accounting for at least 80% of the new cases.
“After a steady climb over the past week, it is the first time in months that the number of new infections threatens to reach the 2000 mark, and the latest figures have pushed the seven-day average from 414 to 1171.”
MEC Simelane is also concerned about the rising number of patients hospitalised for Covid-19.
The Department of Health said a total of 437 people are currently hospitalised in both the public and private sectors.
Of this, 47 people are in the Intensive Care Unit, and nine people are on ventilators.
They said, a week ago, the province had 342 people hospitalised patients, including 44 in ICU and 11 on oxygen.
Simelane said: “In terms of our emergency early warning systems, a 10% increase in cases over a 7-day moving average will trigger an alert; while a 20% increase in cases over a 7-day moving average, which is what we’ve seen, may trigger resurgence.”
“These latest statistics are of huge concern to us. Clearly, something is happening. At this stage, we’re not sure whether this is the fifth wave or not, but these developments are cause for concern.
“That is why we are urging all the people of this province to stay alert and to practice all the necessary precautions, such as wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing, and washing their hands regularly with soap and water or hand sanitiser.”
She said almost 16 079 people had lost their lives due to Covid-19.
Simelane has again reiterated the need for people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The Department said over 4,4 million people remain unvaccinated, with 2,756 million people fully vaccinated.
The MEC pleaded with people to vaccinate.
“This is for their own good, because people who are not vaccinated are more likely to be infected with Covid-19 and more likely to transmit Covid-19 to others. They are also at a much higher risk of dying from the infection compared to vaccinated people.”
“We wish to assure all the people of this country that Covid-19 vaccines have undergone rigorous scientific testing, which has shown that they are, indeed, safe for use.
In the past 24 hours, there were 2650 cases in South Africa
This increase represents a 21% positivity rate.
The country has administered over 34,8million Covid-19 vaccines.
A total of 45 percent of the population have been fully vaccinated.
Only 31 percent of 18-34 age group category have been vaccinated.
IOL