CORONAVIRUS continues to be severe in Gauteng, making it the most-affected province in South Africa. The province is currently the epicentre of the outbreak.
On Sunday, the country recorded 13155 new infections, with 8 640 of these in Gauteng.
As the COVID-19 situation turns from bad to worse, Gauteng Premier David Makhura and Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi welcomed a delegation from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) deployed to help health workers battle a surge in COVID-19 cases in the province.
“The pandemic is out of control and Gauteng is the most dangerous to live in now,” said Makhura.
“We urgently need more restrictions – even if it means moving to Level 4 lockdown to control the pandemic. We are talking to business, religious leaders and liquor traders. The reality is that if these numbers are sustained, something needs to happen.”
Makhura said the SANDF in the previous year assisted the province in various health facilities as part of the fight against the pandemic.
He said the SANDF will augment the staff complement in the province, in addition to the over 5000 COVID-19 posts already filled as part of the human resource addition in health facilities in response to the pandemic.
“Gauteng Province is under fire. The COVID-19 positive cases are very high. The numbers are way above the first and second wave. We will not change this if we don’t take drastic step,” said Makhura.
“We are at a very dangerous place in this pandemic. We have breached more than 2 000 what the peak was in the second wave.”
Mokgethi said since 1 June, 5,521 posts have been filled to make sure there are enough hands to confront the COVID-19 third wave.
Some hospitals in Gauteng are under pressure as the number of coronavirus cases escalate.
Various reports have suggested Gauteng is running out of beds.
Mokgethi said the province’s health system still has enough capacity to cope with demand and healthcare personnel, and beds have been added where required.
This week, Gauteng’s daily infections have surpassed the numbers recorded during the first and second waves.
Gauteng province – home to the administrative capital, Pretoria, and financial hub Johannesburg – is the outbreak’s current epicentre, accounting for about 60 percent of the latest daily increase.
“We have requested additional capacity to assist Gauteng in terms of military help,” acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said at a virtual press briefing on Friday.
Writing in his weekly column, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Gauteng is by far the hardest hit.
“This week the number of new cases exceeded the peak in both previous waves, and it has not started to decline yet. As a result, hospitals are reaching capacity, and healthcare workers are exhausted,” said Ramaphosa.
“Gauteng looks small on the map. But it is home to one in five South Africans and two-fifths of our economy. As an economic hub many people travel to and from this province. We need to turn this around urgently, or lives and livelihoods will be seriously under threat.”
- Inside Politics
