Epidemiological expert Professor Salim Abdool Karim has cautioned against an abrupt ending of South Africa’s national lockdown.
The country is currently on its 19th day of the lockdown and stringent measures have implemented to keep people at home and help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Professor Karim says monitoring of community-based transmissions is key in determining whether to ease or continue the national lockdown.
He says if the average number of daily cases between 10 and 16 April is 90 and above, then the lockdown needs to continue.
He cited areas of concern with high-density hubs, namely the greater Johannesburg area, Ethekwini and Cape Town, where the potential of spread is high as there are many people infected with the virus.
Karim further says if community transmission is slow, cases in the country will show a significant decline.
In the video below, Professor Karim outlines the importance of monitoring community transmissions:
South Africa has a unique approach
Karim has lauded the South African government for what he refers to as a “unique approach” in dealing with the coronavirus.
He says the county has been proactive in active case finding.
Over 28 000 community health care workers go house to house in vulnerable communities for screening and testing in a bid to find new cases.
“SA has a unique component to its response. Every other country has simply had to wait. They saw these cases coming into the hospital and that’s how they recognised they had an epidemic. In SA we have chosen to go a different route. We’ve chosen to be proactive. We’ve chosen to go out there and do active case finding. We’re not gonna wait until they come to the hospital sick. We’re gonna find them before they get to a hospital.”
Stages of South Africa’s response
Outside of the national lockdown and active screening and testing, Karim also outlined other proactive steps taken to flatten the COVID-19 curb, namely:
- community education campaigns
- encouraging social distancing and vigorous hand washing
- closing schools and significantly reducing the number of people in gatherings such as funerals, and
- closing the borders to international travel.
Current SA coronavirus stats
South Africa has recorded its first COVID-19 death of a patient who had no underlying medical condition.
The 57-year-old man succumbed to the virus.
The country currently has 2 272 confirmed coronavirus cases, up by 99 from the last figure of 2 173 and 27 deaths.
As at 13 April 2020, the number of #COVID19 confirmed cases in South Africa is 2272 with 27 dead. pic.twitter.com/2XR66TnASF
— SABC News (@SABCNews) April 14, 2020
The document below outlines Professor Salim Abdul Karim’s full presentation:
