The province tightens the Integrated Covid-19 Risk Adjusted Strategy to combat Covid-19 ahead of the winter season
It’s in effort to combat the Covid-19 pandemic in anticipation of the third wave, the North West Provincial Command Council led by North West Premier hosted its monthly briefings to receive progress and interventions on the Integrated Covid-19 Risk Adjusted Strategy made by different institutions in combating the Covid-19 pandemic in the province.
The briefing focused mainly on the intervention strategies on the Integrated Institutional arrangement per district and efforts in flattening the COVID-19 curve; enforcement of the lockdown regulations; managing infections, recoveries and fatalities; effective provisioning of hospital beds, quarantine/isolation facilities, medicine, personnel and equipment as well as social behaviour in general.
As of today (Friday, 07 May 2021) the total number of confirmed cases Covid-19 cases in the province is 68 486 with 63 405 recoveries which translate into 92,6% recovery rate and 1725 deaths. The province now has 3356 active cases, of which 223 cases were identified in the last 24 hours.
The number of NW health care workers vaccinated through the Sisonke Protocol is 21 662. The vaccination will now be rolled out to group of elderly people who are sixty years and 2 over. Registration has already started. The province has 370 000 elderly people who must be vaccinated.
In anticipation of the third wave, the province will continue to implement the COVID-19 resurgence prevention plans and continue educating people to strengthen adherence Covid-19 regulations and ensure that they avoid closed spaces, crowd and close contact with people. The province will deliver relevant messages to communities through different media platforms and outreach programmes.
The Department of Health will continue with the current strong focus on contact tracing, strengthen implementation of ward based interventions, ensure continued support from Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism as well as Department of Public Works and Roads with to quarantine facilities, continue to train staff on treatment protocols, provide PPE’s for staff, ensure bed, equipment and medicine availability as well as providing health education to patients and family members.
There are 24 quarantine sites in the province which amongst others includes Potch Dam, Christiana All Season Resort and Bakgatla Resort. All facilities have over 2400 beds. The Command Council has also heard that the rapid rise of infections in the province is fuelled by the super spreader events including, family and social gatherings; religious activities since Easter weekend as well as music and cultural events.
There is an increase in daily positive cases observed since last week in the province. Weekly numbers increased between weeks 13 to 15. In the past week, the Dr Ruth Segomotsi (0.8 cases per 100 000 persons, 7.0% increase) and the Dr Kenneth Kaunda (3.6 cases per 100 000 persons, 13.4% increase) districts reported an increase in weekly incidence risk, compared to the previous week.
Premier Mokgoro indicated in the meeting that the fatigue which is visible in the public has the potential to bring us devastating consequences. He cautioned the public against getting fatigue saying we are still in the middle of the pandemic.
“When travelling between different towns and you read the social behavior of the people on the streets, you can conclude that they are fatigued in following Covid-19 regulations to fight 3 the pandemic. Through the heightened Covid-19 messages we must remind them that this fatigue will bring us detrimental results” remarked Premier Mokgoro.
The number of patients in the ICU and those on ventilation continue to decrease. Current Case Fatality rate is 2.6% that is still below the national rate of 3.4%. The province’s current average recovery rate is at 93.3%, below the SA recovery rate of 95%.
As part of the Health response, a strategy has been developed to identify hotspots, reduce the incidence of COVID-19 through prevention strategies, go on outreach programmes and do targeted screening and testing, managing contacts tracing, positive cases, those symptomatic and those who are ill.
“We still have a long way to go, let’s continue to encourage our people through different platforms to be safe by avoiding closed spaces, crowded spaces and close contact with other people” concluded Premier Mokgoro.
The Command Council meeting is amongst others attended by the Ministers and Deputy Ministers deployed to the province as National District Champions, the MECs, Chairperson of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders, Chairperson of SALGA, SAPS, Heads of Department and Section 100 Administrators.
For enquiries, contact:
Brian Setswambung
E-mail: bsetswambung@nwpg.gov.za
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