Media Release: Update on the coronavirus by Premier Alan Winde

20 June 2020

As of 1pm on 20 June, the Western Cape has 12 277 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 48 806 confirmed cases and 35 156 recoveries.

Sub Districts Cape Town Metro:

Sub-districts:

Unallocated: 3536 (1965 recovered)

Data note:  As the province moves closer to the peak and the Department of Health is recording over 1000 new cases daily, it is not possible to check and verify that the address data supplied for each new case is correct, within the time frames required to provide regular and timely updates. This means that in some instances, cases could be allocated to the wrong sub-districts. We are working with the sub-districts to clean and verify the data and where errors are picked up locally, cases will be re-allocated to the correct areas.

More data is available here: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/covid-19-dashboard

The Western Cape has recorded an additional 64 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 1373. We send our condolences to their loved ones at this time.

Recoveries:

With over 35 000 recorded recoveries, the Western Cape has now achieved a recovery rate of 72%. Khayelitsha, which has the second highest number of reported cases in the province, now has an 81% recovery rate- the highest recovery rate in the metro. The Tygerberg sub-district which has the highest number of infections in the province, has a recovery rate of 76% while Klipfontein which has the third highest number of infections, has a 73% recovery rate.

The Western Cape uses the National Institute of Communicable Diseases definition of recovery which classifies a person as recovered 14 days after the first day of symptoms. For patients who have been hospitalised, recovery is calculated 14 days after discharge from hospital. This definition of recovery does not require a person to test negative for the virus because the virus can still be detected for some time after a person has recovered. After 14 days, a patient is no longer infectious and the case is no longer considered active.

Hospitalisations:

Most people will be able to recover at home, without the need for hospital care, especially if they are young and healthy. Our data however has shown that age and underlying including diabetes and high blood pressure present the greatest risk for becoming seriously ill or dying. We are moving closer to our peak and we are starting to see increased hospitalisations in the province- with 1597 people currently hospitalised and 302 of these in ICU.

People who fall into vulnerable groups must take additional precautions to protect themselves- staying at home as much as possible, being vigilant about hygiene such as handwashing and cleaning of surfaces, and wearing a mask and keeping a distance of 1.5 metres if they must go out.

We can help protect our loved ones and other vulnerable people by:

-Regular hand washing

-Avoiding gatherings

-Staying at home as much as possible, especially if you feel unwell or you’re experiencing any symptoms

-Keeping a distance of 1.5 metres between yourself and any other person in public

-Wearing a clean, cloth mask when out in public. Masks must be worn correctly, covering the nose and mouth and must be put on and removed by the straps, with clean hands