By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD),reports 16 435 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 253 240. This increase represents a 29.9% positivity rate.
The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (44%), followed by Western Cape (18%). Limpopo and North West each accounted for 9%; Mpumalanga accounted for 7%; Eastern Cape accounted for 5%; Free State and KwaZulu-Natal each accounted for 3%; and Northern Cape accounted for 2% of today’s new cases.
Although the number of positive cases appears to be decreasing, testing is critical for understanding the spread of COVID-19 infection. It’s crucial to remember that the testing data is representative of those who came forward for testing, not necessarily a reflection of current community transmission in South Africa. Testing data is used to identify cases and follow up of contacts to limit transmission. This data is also used to predict, plan and deploy resources for risk mitigation, said NICD.
“Understanding that services have been adversely affected and services may be temporarily closed we encourage all our communities to seek medical help if they have COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, lethargy, a dry cough, or trouble breathing. Individuals who are unable to access testing facilities and believe they have been infected or have had direct contact with someone who has been confirmed positive should call the COVID -19 hotline on 0800 029 999, stay at home, quarantine for 10 days, and minimise contact with others.”
NICD added that a further 377 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 65 972 to date.
Vaccine Update:
For updates on the national vaccine programme, click here.
Meanwhile the Health Department has officially opened the vaccine registration system to allow people aged 35 and above to register to get their COVID-19 vaccine from 1 August, as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
According to the department, the national vaccination programme continues across the country, despite violent protests, which resulted in the temporary closure of some sites in violence-struck areas.
The department has encouraged those who are eligible to sign up in their numbers on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS).
In addition, technology-savvy people are urged to prioritise other methods of vaccine registration, including using the COVID-19 Call Centre on 0800 029 999, WhatsApp 0600 123 56 and by dialling *134*832# to avoid congestion and long waiting queues at vaccination sites.
“People over 50 years can walk into vaccine sites with or without appointments to vaccinate,” the department said.
The department has, meanwhile, urged all those visiting the vaccination sites, especially senior citizens, to be vigilant of any criminal activities that are intended to derail government’s efforts to break the chain of transmission and save lives through the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine.
“We call upon all law-abiding and patriotic citizens to join hands with government and other sectors to safeguard healthcare facilities, self-sacrificing health workers and medical supplies against the criminal activities of those who want to undermine the law of the country.”
The department said it will continuously update the public about the state of the affected healthcare facilities and vaccination sites.
Meanwhile the vaccination rollout programme in the basic education sector came to an end on Wednesday, with more than 500 000 educators and staff having been vaccinated.
However, while the programme has concluded in the sector, those who could not make it to the vaccination sites for various reasons are still able to get vaccinated.
“We urge all our teachers and support staff to get vaccinated so that when schools open, we focus on recovery. We will not have another opportunity to give people time off to go vaccinate when schools open. It is better to do it now before schools reopen,” said Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.
Vaccinations in the sector began on 23 June 2021. The initial target was 582 000.
The department said it is aware that some personnel live and work in areas affected by the current unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.