By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize said in a statement that a total of 566 new Covid-19-related cases have been identified since the last report, bringing total number of Covid-19 cases to 1 513 959.
The total number of tests conducted to date is 9 090 273, with 12 794 new tests recorded since the last report.
Mkhize said a further 84 Covid-19-related deaths (52 on Sunday) have been reported: North West 36, Western Cape 21, Gauteng 19, Northern Cape 6 and Eastern Cape 2. The Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga recorded no deaths.
More than 50,000 people have died in SA from Covid-19 related illnesses. The total number of recoveries are 1 431 336, representing a recovery rate of 94.5%.
Commenting on the vaccine rollout, Mkhize said the number of healthcare workers vaccinated under the Sisonke Protocol is 73 047 as of 6.30pm today.
Mkhize also said that there is concern over a third wave of Covid-19 post-Easter (4 April) as the country continues to roll out its vaccinations strategy.
Speaking as part of a Wits panel discussion on Covid-19 vaccine on Monday (1 March), Mkhize said: “We are all concerned about the possibility of a third wave, or resurgence after Easter (April),” he said, adding that the virus will likely spread again in winter.
Easter time is typically a period of family gatherings, holiday breaks, and increased alcohol consumption – all of which have been closely associated with a rising number of Covid-19 cases.
Mkhize said that by the end of March, the country should have access to at least 1.1 million vaccines, which will come from Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. Additional vaccines are expected in May and June, with exact numbers still being assessed.
The acceleration of vaccines is expected from April, May and June. “At that point we are actually negotiating much higher numbers of vaccines,” he said.
The hold-up is that manufacturers have not yet committed to those numbers, but larger numbers are expected to come in the third and fourth quarter, the minister said.
How frequently the South African variant changes is constantly creating new information, which changes the dynamic of any discussions.
Mkhize said that announcements around what can be done with vaccines to ensure they are more effective against variants will be made over the next few days. New information is coming in constantly that needs to be factored in.
The minister said that there are also worries that people might start to feel more relaxed now that the second wave is over, and the country’s lockdown has eased, which could lead to complacency around preventative measures and protocols.
Infections have, in the past, followed a pattern of increasing once lockdown restrictions have eased.
President Cyril Ramaphosa loosened coronavirus restrictions in South Africa on Sunday evening as the rate of new infections dropped, scrapping most limits on alcohol sales, shortening a night-time curfew and permitting larger public gatherings.
The move to virus alert level 1, from level 3, comes a year after the first Covid-19 case was detected in the country, and will remove most remaining shackles on the struggling economy, Ramaphosa said.
“Our approach has always been that restrictions should not remain in place longer than is absolutely necessary,” Ramaphosa said. “The threat of the third wave is constantly present, as is the threat of new variants.”
The average daily number of new coronavirus cases has dropped to less than 1,500, from a peak of about 22,000 in early January. More than 1.5 million people in South Africa have been diagnosed with the disease, and 50,000 of them have died.