CABINET has approved the extension of the National State of Disaster until 15 October as the government tries very hard to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cabinet approved the extension of the National State of Disaster in terms of Section 27(5) (c) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (57 of 2002), Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele briefed the media on the outcomes of Cabinet meeting.
In addition, Cabinet approved that the country should remain on Adjusted Alert Level 3 of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Cabinet was apprised by the Department of Health on the progress of the Vaccination Roll-out Programme, which included epidemiology (the branch of medicine which deals with the incidence, distribution and possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health) and surveillance,” said Gungubele.
“Cabinet noted the decline in new infections, as well as hospital admissions and reported death cases.”
By 31 August 2021, more than 12 568 525 doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across the country, said Gungubele.
The increased number of vaccination sites, and extended vaccination days and the provision of free transport by provinces, will result in a significant increase in the number of people who will be fully vaccinated.
“Cabinet encourages unvaccinated people in our country, especially adults and those at high risk of developing severe illness, to vaccinate as quickly as possible,” he said.
“Vaccines hold good benefits for our health as they prevent serious illness, hospitalisation and death. Let us fight the virus together by spreading verified information about vaccines provided by the Department of Health and World Health Organisation.”
Cabinet appealed to parents, learners and school governing bodies to ensure strict adherence to the wearing of masks, ventilation, social distancing and handwashing hygiene.
Strict adherence to the non-pharmaceutical health protocols remains the most effective defence against the spread of the virus, said Gungubele.
Meanwhile, the country administered 253 160 vaccines on Wednesday, pushing the total to 12 841 537.
In addition, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said the country logged 9 544 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 787 203.
The majority of new cases were recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (2 681), followed by the Western Cape (2 049), Eastern Cape (1 392) and Free State (964).
“This increase represents a 15.6% positivity rate,” said the institute, adding that the latest figure is higher than the average number of new cases per day over the seven preceding days.
Meanwhile, a further 235 COVID-19 related fatalities have been reported, bringing the death toll to 82 496.
According to the NICD, there has been an increase of 430 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.
The information is based on the 16 536 206 tests, 61 027 of which were conducted since the last reporting cycle.
As of 1 September 2021, there have been 217 558 771 confirmed global cases of COVID-19, 4 517 240 deaths and 5 272 630 490 administered vaccine doses reported to the World Health Organisation.
- Inside Politics
