Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane says trends are clearly showing that other provinces are going to experience a surge in numbers of COVID-19 infections, as currently being experienced by Gauteng. She has once again expressed concerns about the rising numbers of infections in Gauteng.
Kubayi-Ngubane says the health system in the province is under strain.
The Acting Minister was virtually updating the public on the current status in terms of infections across the country and the impact of the Delta variant in South Africa.
“We are in the third wave. We continue to see the numbers repeatedly rising and the number of these infections continue to rise and Gauteng continues to be the epicentre of these new infections. In the last 24 hours are 18 762 new cases which represent a 25.5% of positivity testing rate. Of this, Gauteng accounts for 11 777 new cases. We remain very worried about the rise in the hospitalisation which is putting a lot of strain on the health facilities in Gauteng.”
Acting Minister of Health and a panel of experts provide an update on South Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
Delta variant
Scientists say the variant appears to be dominating new infections in South Africa. According to the World Health Organisation, the Delta variant – first discovered in India, is the most transmissible of the variants identified so far.
The Delta coronavirus variant is dominating new infections in the country. South Africa is the worst-hit country on the continent in terms of confirmed COVID-19 infections and deaths during a third wave of infections.
Acting Health Minister Kubayi provides an update on the response against the Covid-19 pandemic https://t.co/riLQPObMN6
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) June 26, 2021
Director of research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Tulio de Oliviera says this variant is spreading rapidly.
This week WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the lack of vaccines in poor countries is exacerbating the variant’s transmission.
Variants driving the third wave: WHO
South Africa on Friday reported 18 762 new COVID-19 cases, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 1 895 905.
Latest SA stats:
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Delta reported in May in SA
In May this year, the Health Department confirmed that it has detected the presence of coronavirus variants dominant in India and in the UK in South Africa. The CSIR has also raised concerns about the increase in the number of new coronavirus infections in provinces like Gauteng, the Free State and the Northern Cape.
