Western Cape concerned about Covid-19 infection rate of healthcare workers

The Western Cape province is concerned about the increasing rate of healthcare workers in the province being infected with Covid-19 as this adds more pressure on the province’s healthcare system.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, along with the head of the province’s department of health, Dr Keith Cloete, gave an update on Tuesday on the Covid-19 situation in the province.

In his opening remarks, Winde welcomed the approach announced on Monday evening by President Cyril Ramaphosa, which, among other things, will see the implementation of the closure of certain beaches, including those in the Garden Route in the Western Cape, and the restrictions on the sale of alcohol.

Winde said these measures would allow the province to pay more attention on Covid-19 hotspots.

The premier urged people to avoid congested areas during the 16 December Day of Reconciliation public holiday and throughout the festive season, and also for them to practice social distancing.

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Winde said law enforcement would be visible at the beaches that operate throughout the festive season and that roadblocks would be conducted throughout the province.

Cloete said the province would focus on its five-point resurgence plan, which included changing the behaviours of community members, surveilling the outbreak response to contain the spread of Covid-19, dealing with the rate of infections among healthcare workers and scaling down of non-Covid-19 services at health facilities to create capacity for the disease.

Cloete said the first part of the plan was about preventing infections and that efforts by law enforcement would ensure that there was compliance, mainly around events, restaurants, night clubs, beaches or where people were expected to gather.

Cloete said Covid-19 related deaths were increasing and hospitalisations as well as the use of oxygen.

In the last week, the province recorded a 48% increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, Cloete said.

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Cloete said the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases was slowing down in the Garden Route area,.

Cloete, however, said a super-spreader event in the Garden Route could lead to a further increase in the number of cases.

The number of healthcare workers being infected was starting to be a problem, an increase that results in fewer staff and subsequently a more pressured healthcare system, Cloete said.

Among healthcare workers, there are 493 active cases, 42 of those were hospitalised in the last 14 days and in the same period, six healthcare workers had unfortunately passed away, Cloete said.

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