Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has appealed to businesses to always act with the best interests of their clients and staff at heart and abide by the COVID-19 restrictions and regulations to ensure maximum safety.
This week the personal care sector including hair salons and restaurants which have not been able to trade for the duration of the lockdown will reopen.
Winde says customers must also act responsibly by wearing a mask and to stay at home if they feel unwell.
The Western Cape continues to account for the highest number of infections at 52 554 confirmed cases and 1 458 people have died from COVID-19 in the province.
The province also said clinical protocols are already being developed for the use of the drug, Dexamethasone, in its battle against the disease, following outcomes of a recovery trial in the United Kingdom, which shows a positive impact on severely ill patients and those on ventilators.
In the video below, Prof Salim Karim unpacks the use of Dexamethasone to treat COVID-19:
Dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory medication which was found to have reduced mortality rates by a third, has been hailed as a breakthrough in saving the lives of those severely ill with COVID-19.
Health Department Head Keith Cloete said South Africa is a major manufacturer of the oral form of the drug and also has large stocks of the intravenous version.
“The ministerial advisory committee in SA has already considered the results and has made a recommendation that we should use. On the basis of the results of the study, Dexamethasone in the treatment of people on ventilators and the treatment of people on oxygen because of the good results that have been recorded in the study.”
The results of the Oxford University trial, although not yet formally published, have paved the way for its use in decreasing COVID-19 deaths. Provincial Health Minister, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, says the drug will be introduced as an essential drug.
Mbombo said: “We need to welcome the fact that Dexamethasone will be introduced into our essential drug list in South Africa, has been confirmed by the research team in the UK, which will assist in the reduction of the deaths of those on oxygen and those on ventilators.”
The Western Cape remains the province with the most confirmed cases of COVID-19, accounting for 52.9% of the country’s total, having recorded 55 554 infections. The province has also recorded the most deaths, accounting for 1 448 of total fatalities in South Africa.
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