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South Africa: Covid-19 cases - 646,398 cases; 15,378 deaths
President Cyril Ramaphosa said that over the last three weeks the number of new confirmed cases has dropped from a peak of over 12 000 a day to an average over the past week of around 5 000 a day.
Addressing the nation tonight he said:
1. The recovery rate from coronavirus has risen from 48% at the time of his last address and now stands at 80%.
2. The cumulative number of cases remains extremely high at 583 653.
3. The number of active cases is declining every day, and now stands at around 105 000. The virus appears to have peaked in several provinces, including the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and possibly in KwaZulu-Natal.
4. Fewer people are presenting with symptoms at health facilities.
5. Fewer people are requiring admission to hospitals and the demand for coronavirus tests has dropped.
6.The number of patients hospitalised has decreased from 10 000 at the beginning of the month to around 4 000.
7. As of today, 11 667 people are confirmed to have died from COVID-19 in South Africa.
Averages for all provinces continue to go down with some slowing to a plateau over the last few days.
“I think we may see cases go up slightly with more regulations being eased but it can be kept to a minimum if everyone takes the necessary precautions.”
WEEKLY BULLETIN ON OUTBREAKS
AND OTHER EMERGENCIES
Week 33: 10 - 16 August 2020
Data as reported by: 17:00; 16 August 2020
... Coronavirus disease 2019
South Africa
587 345 Cases
11 839 Deaths
2.0% CFR
EVENT DESCRIPTION
South Africa continues to record the highest number of COVID-19
cases and deaths on the continent, with the daily number of new cases
declining steadily. However, the country’s current policy of testing only
those who present with symptoms makes full interpretation of case
numbers difficult.
Since our last report (Weekly Bulletin 32), the number of recorded cases
has increased by 27 487 (compared to 48 373 in the previous week),
with 1 431 new deaths (compared to 2 042 the previous week). As of
16 August 2020, the country has reported a total of 587 345 cases and
11 839 deaths (case fatality ratio 2.0%).
All provinces in the country are affected, with Gauteng Province the most
affected, at 199 635 cases (34.0%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal with
105 383 (17.9%) cases. Western Cape (102 449; 17.4%) and Eastern
Cape (84 006; 14.3%) follow. Case numbers continue to rise rapidly in
the less populous provinces, with 31 870 cases in Free State Province,
23 250 cases in North West Province, 21 289 cases in Mpumalanga
Province, 11 573 cases in Limpopo Province and 7 840 cases in the
sparsely populated Northern Cape Province.
Western Cape Province has the most deaths (3 580; 30.2%), followed by
Gauteng Province (2 915; 24.6%), Eastern Cape Province (2 517; 21.2%)
and KwaZulu-Natal Province (1 672; 14.1%). The remaining provinces
have reported 1 155 (9.7%) deaths between them. The number of health
workers affected remains 24 104 (5% of all confirmed cases), with 181
deaths (1.74% of the total) recorded. The number of recoveries stands
at 472 377 (80%).
Among the 583 207 cases where age and gender is known, 339 245
cases are female and 243 623 are male. The age groups most affected
are those between 25 to 54 years. The majority of deaths are among
those aged 50-69 years.
As of 16 August 2020, a total of 3 400 638 Polymerase Chain Reaction
(PCR) tests has been carried out, of which 2 667 851 are passive case
finding and 732 787 are community screen and test. Currently, 83% of
all tests have been carried out in the private health sector, with 17% in
the public health sector.
Sentinel surveillance carried out in selected public and private hospitals
by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) suggests
that weekly hospital admissions are declining, rising to a peak of 6 283
during week 29 (week ending 18 July 2020) and falling in the past two
weeks, with 5 292 admissions recorded in week 31 (week ending 1
August 2020). Public hospitals account for only 43% of these figures,
although the number of admissions is also dropping in those public
facilities that form part of this sentinel surveillance.
PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIONS
A WHO surge team of infectious disease specialists and
epidemiologists is currently in South Africa, working with the
National Department of Health.
South Africa moved to level 2 lockdown as of 17 August 2020, with
all sectors of the economy now open with strict adherence to public
health protocols. Inter-provincial travel is once more allowed, but
international travel is still banned (except for essential reasons).
Tobacco and alcohol can once more be sold, but with restricted
hours of sale for alcohol and no on-site consumption after 22:00.
A curfew remains in place from 22:00 to 04:00. Cloth masks are
mandatory in public places, including outside areas, gatherings
of more than 50 people are not allowed and spectators are not
allowed at sporting events. Family and social visits in homes are
now permitted.
Schools are opening using a phased approach.
SITUATION INTERPRETATION
The situation in South Africa remains of concern, although daily
recorded numbers are falling, as are hospital admissions. However, the
number of deaths continues to rise, including in the less populous areas
of the country, which collectively now account for 9.7% of the deaths
in the country. The main concentration of cases and deaths continues
to be seen in the densely population urban areas, but established
community transmission means that cases are steadily rising in more
rural provinces, and, with inter-provincial travel once more allowed,
these numbers may rise further in the coming weeks. Even with falling
hospital admissions, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provincial
hospitals remain under pressure, although both Western Cape and
Gauteng provinces report that there is bed capacity available. However,
there is no room for complacency, particularly with further easing of
restrictions. Government needs to continue with massive and
wideranging community engagement and risk communication strategies
to ensure that the gains of the past few weeks are not lost.
"Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear." -Nelson Mandela
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