Cape Town - Escalating Covid-19 case numbers in the province are causing increased pressure on hospital capacity and the province is urging citizens to be extra safe and vigilant in the upcoming long weekend with regard to alcohol use and behaviour on the roads.
During the premier’s regular digital news conference update on the provincial health platform, head of health Dr Keith Cloete said the province remains in the phase of widespread community transmission and these transmissions are occurring mainly at workplaces, in households, at homeless shelters and at long-term care facilities.
Dr Cloete said there had been 20 deaths at Mitchell’s Plain Hospital over the weekend and that a third ward had been opened at the Mitchells Plain Hospital of Hope where cases were mainly from household cluster infections.
“We are currently seeing an average of 3 004 new diagnoses each day. Admissions are at 339 new admissions per day. Currently 3 654 patients are admitted with Covid-19, 2 021 in public hospitals and 1 633 in private hospitals.
“Deaths have increased, with around 108 deaths each day. Excess deaths continue to increase in the province and these have been above the upper-bound of expected deaths for six weeks.”
He said the usage of beds across the province was being monitored through a centrally co-ordinated and professional operation, known as the Bed Bureau Management System.
The system shows that in the Western Cape, the total general bed use rate is at 89% and the total Covid-19 bed use rate is at 75%.
In his report Dr Cloete said that overall, there is a 21% week-on-week increase in daily new cases in the metro. The report said that last week’s reported plateau in cases was likely artificial as there was decreased testing and capturing of test results during the period of taxi violence.
On the issue of trauma presentations Dr Cloete said the allowance for partial availability of alcohol sales has had major implications for provincial hospital and emergency services at 17 emergency centres across the province.
He said that as the province is currently also in the peak of the third wave of Covid-19, the impact of this additional burden on healthcare capacity is significant.
Premier Winde said: “Our vaccine supplies, which have been under pressure over the last two weeks, will start to increase significantly from next week. Nearly a quarter of a million vaccines will arrive in the Western Cape tomorrow (Friday) alone.
“The vaccine is safe and will help protect you from getting seriously ill from Covid-19, and our very early data is already showing that it is helping reduce the impact of the third wave on those residents over 60 who have had at least one shot of Pfizer.”