The Western Cape’s healthcare system is ready for the fifth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Head of Health, Dr. Keith Cloete says the system is, like with the previous waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, ready to react should there be a drastic increase in hospitalizations.
Cloete says the capacity that has been built in the healthcare system, over the past 2 years, can easily be re-activated should the need arise.

He spoke to ENCA and says all systems are in place to deal with the expected 5th wave.

Cloete says the sudden increase in Covid-19 infections, recorded in the past few days, should not be a cause for alarm.

This past weekend, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said the country’s test-positivity rate reached the 22% mark, with Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape recording the majority of new infections.

Cloete says newer versions of the Omicron variant are responsible for this surge in new infections.

Read more here.

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The Western Cape Health Department says it will work towards increasing access to Covid-19 vaccines in poorer communities.

Head of Health, Dr Keith Cloete says current data shows that a larger percentage of residents, in more affluent areas, are fully vaccinated.

Cloete says it’s especially pensioners in the Klipfontein-, Tygerberg-, Khayelitsia and Mitchells Plain areas that have not yet had access to an injection.

Access this week’s Western Cape Covid-19 digital conference here.

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The Western Cape Health Department says fully vaccinated people are four times less likely to die from Covid-19 complications than those who are not vaccinated.

The Department once again, over the weekend, encouraged residents over the age of 50 to get their injection as soon as possible.

According to the province’s Head of Health, Dr. Keith Cloete getting at least one dose of a two-dose Covid-19 vaccine, will provide protection against serious illness, hospitalization or death.

He says that fully vaccinated people enjoy the best protection.

Access the latest Western Cape Covid-19 digital conference here.

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With an estimated 355,000 South Africans vaccinated this past weekend, as part of the Vooma Vaccination Weekend, residents have been encouraged to continue registering for and go for their injection.

Western Cape Head of Health, Dr. Keith Cloete says there has been a worrying decrease in the number of people getting vaccinated, not just here in the Western Cape, but also in the rest of the country.

Cloete says the province’s healthcare facilities have sufficient doses of vaccine to inoculate thousands of residents on a daily basis.

Follow the latest vaccination updates here.

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The Western Cape has, over the past week, shown a 12% decrease in its positivity-rate, indicating early signs of the end of the third wave of the pandemic.

The provincial Head of Health, Dr Keith Cloete says the province’s hospitalization-rate has also shown a gradual week-on-week decline of 8%.

Covid-19 deaths also decreased from an average of around 108 deaths per day, to less than 100 deaths per day.

Access the latest Western Cape digicon here.

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