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COVID-19 infections continue to increase sharply in Western Cape: Premier

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The Western Cape Health Department says new COVID-19 infections driven by the Omicron variant are increasing rapidly. The province is officially in its fourth wave of infections with around 28 000 active cases.

The new Omicron variant, which is highly transmissible, has resulted in a high infection rate in the fourth wave. Head of the Provincial Department of Health, Dr Keith Cloete, says the biggest weapon against the fourth wave is vaccination.

“We are now firmly in the fourth wave in the Western Cape, with rapidly increasing cases, driven by the Omicron variant. We urge everyone to vaccinate, wear a mask, avoid closed spaces, gather outdoors to contain the spread over the coming days and weeks,” says Dr Keith Cloete.

Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, has called on residents and visitors in the province to act responsibly to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Addressing an online briefing on COVID-19, Winde says it’s important to safeguard the healthcare system to manage the pandemic.

“We need to make sure that we are protecting our frontline, that we are protecting our hospitals and our healthcare workers specifically. That means we’ve all got to play our part. I think right now if you are getting infected and finding out that you’ve got symptoms, please you need to understand we’ve been doing this for three waves already. We need to make sure that if you are feeling the onset of flu symptoms, please you must isolate yourself. You must make sure that you are not spreading this virus to other family members and other citizens in our province. We all need to be playing our part.”

Officials are also aiming to increase vaccinations in the province. More than 4.3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have already been administered in the Western Cape.

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