POLOKWANE – Polokwane remains the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak in Limpopo, with four active cases.
This, after the province’s Covid-19 positive cases rose to 40 on Wednesday with 11 active cases, 27 recoveries and two deaths.
Wednesday’s cases increased by one from Tuesday, 5 May, as Thabazimbi in the Waterberg district recorded its first case, a second case in the district in two days.
The Capricorn District, in which Polokwane is situated, has the highest number of cases in the province with 16 cumulative cases recorded, of which eight patients recovered.
The Capricorn District also recorded Limpopo’s first death on 15 April when a 69-year-old man succumbed to the disease. The man, whose wife also tested positive, was a patient at the Netcare Phološo Hospital in Polokwane and action taken by the hospital resulted in one staff member subsequently testing positive.
Limpopo’s second death was recorded five days later, on 20 April, in the Greater Tubatse/Fetakgomo region of the Sekhukhune District, when a 55-year-old male was diagnosed through post mortem results.
The man, who worked as a freelancer in the film industry and practised as a traditional healer, was believed to have fallen ill in Cape Town and his son drove him back to Limpopo to consult his prophet. He died on arrival at a private practitioner in the area.
With an active approach to combatting the virus, the MEC for Health, Dr Phophi Ramathuba launched the Provincial Mass Household Screening programme on 14 April which saw 9 856 Community Health Care Workers deployed to carry out screenings.
This resulted in half of South Africa’s screenings being done in the province, according to the department.
“By Friday, 24 April, 800 119 households were visited and 2 781 765 people were screened. This constitutes over 50% of the population of the province,” the MEC told the media.
She added that inter-provincial transmission remains Limpopo’s biggest challenge.
The MEC has actively been encouraging Limpopo’s residents to abide by the rules and regulations outlined by government during level 4 of the lockdown by visiting clinics, rural areas of the province, mines and taxi ranks. She was recently present during the commissioning of a machine to be used in a laboratory, which will assist in fast-tracking the testing process at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital. The machines are the only two in Limpopo, and release Covid-19 test results within an hour.
As at 5 May, South Africa recorded 352 new cases, pushing the total to 7 572 cases.
Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
