Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku has expressed concern over the increase in local transmissions of the coronavirus in the province.
Gauteng has at least 813 cases of COVID19, with Johannesburg registering more than half.
Masuku says the mass screening programme announced by the President is progressing well, but there is concern over the spread of the infection in densely populated areas.
“We are seeing Johannesburg being an epicentre of the infections in Gauteng and we are working with the municipality to make sure that we are able to deal with the numbers. We have seen quite a decline in the numbers of imported infections. Now we are seeing more of local transmissions.”
“The areas that we are fearful of are those highly densely populated areas like your informal settlements, Diepsloot, Alexandra and all the other areas like that.” The interesting aspect about our health workers who have been infected they have not got the infection through where they work most of them they have actually got the infections in their social circles outside the health facilities.”
‘Coronavirus has increased minimally’
Meanwhile Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus has increased minimally and there has been an additional death putting the death toll at 25.
Mkhize says the total number of confirmed cases has increased to 2028. The total number of tests conducted to date is 75 053.
The latest death is of a 61-year-old man from the Western Cape with underlying conditions of diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
Media release: Tests conducted to date is 75 053 pic.twitter.com/UaMOtaW89B— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) April 11, 2020
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize is on the line for more on the figures, after spending the last few days in KwaZulu-Natal:
