Limpopo Health MEC: Delta variant is here
Positive cases jump almost fivefold in 4 days.
POLOKWANE – Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba has confirmed that the rapid spike in Covid-19 cases in the province since Tuesday could be ascribed to the new Delta variant.
The department earlier today confirmed that the variant has been detected in Limpopo.
“Figures in the province jumped from 385 cases on Tuesday to 1780 cases on Saturday. The time to be extra careful, is now,” she said in a statement. “Our people need to understand that this variant will make it extra difficult to keep numbers low. We need to warn citizens that there is an urgent need for an extreme turnaround in behavioural change.”
Read more: President urges citizens to register for Covid-19 vaccine
A new trend in the province is also the increase in previously low infection categories.
A total of 67 children of up to nine years of age have been infected, while 638 cases were reported for the age group 15 to 34.
According to the MEC, citizens who are “unrepentant” and who continue to attend social and political gatherings, are “a recipe for disaster”.
“If our people continue to defiantly organise parties and other social jamborees, the spread will be too difficult to contain,” she warned.
In the meantime, hospitals in Polokwane are feeling the strain in terms of numbers. Read more about the situation in this week’s Review.
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