The number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. The city is dealing with more than 3 000 active cases. It is the most active hotspot in the Eastern Cape. Nelson Mandela Bay Disaster Management Chairperson, Shane Brown, says the city records close to 500 new daily cases on average.
“Indications are that we could see quite an increase, so areas that we’re quite worried about is the urban areas and the northern areas. They are the areas we are concerned about because they are the highest. There is a trend, just over the last week or so, areas like Motherwell, KwaNobuhle and KwaZakhele starting to spike – going the wrong way. The figures have been low and still are, but they are starting to pick up,” says Brown.
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The Eastern Cape Department of Health says health facilities in the metro area are stable at this stage with sufficient capacity for hospitalisations.
Municipal authorities are also detecting a slow down in vaccinations. The Health department’s head, Dr Rolene Wagner, says it is vital for people to get vaccinated to stem the tide.
There are also a number of vaccinations sites that are open on weekends.
“As a department, we continue in wanting to encourage people to register, but even if you are not registered, no one will be turned away from our sites. We will assist those who need it. So we want to assure that to our public. At the moment, in the Nelson Mandela Bay area, we have actually got 52 sites that are open from Monday to Friday from 08h30 to 3 pm in the afternoon,” says Wagner.
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