Dear Editor
The DA in the Western Cape calls on residents to remain vigilant and to continue getting vaccinated. Since the beginning of last week, there have been almost 10 000 cases of Covid-19 that were registered in the province. Whilst over a thousand of these residents have since recovered, these statistics show a worrying trend that cases are once again on the rise.
Despite this, our hospitalisations are notably lower than what was experienced in the previous waves – only 7% of acute general hospital capacity last week was being used for Covid and person under investigation (PUI) cases.
But, this doesn’t mean that we should let our guard down as there are currently 15 302 active cases in the Western Cape. These cases are likely to increase with South Africa’s positivity rate this month being at its highest level since January.
There is no doubt that Covid-19 will be amongst us for the foreseeable future, which is why we all should take the necessary precautions to help prevent the increasing trend of infections. The most powerful preventative measure remains vaccination. With 56.89% of the Western Cape population having received vaccinations, it is essential that we all go for our booster shots and help persuade loved ones to get their vaccines if they have not already.
On a day-to-day basis, however, we encourage everyone to continue to practise good hygiene protocols.
MPP Wendy Philander says: “The Western Cape Department of Health has already allocated R777 million to our Covid-19 response in the current financial year, with an addition R198 million going towards our vaccination programme. In order for these resources to be effective, we need an all-of-society approach in dealing with Covid so that we can safely navigate this endemic period and bring about the recovery after the pandemic.”
Regards
Wendy Kaizer-Philander, MPP
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Health
