29 July 2020 

“All indications are that the Western Cape Covid-19 pandemic is stabilizing & starting to decline in some areas – but we must be vigilant”  

At today’s digitial press conference, the Western Cape Government provided an update on our health response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our teams have been working around the clock to ensure that our health systems are prepared to provide care to every single person, should they need it.

From the very beginning, we understood that the Hard Lockdown was necessary to buy us time to do this. We have not taken this responsibility for granted, and I am extremely grateful to every single person who worked with determination and speed to ensure we could provide the best possible services to all our people.

Evidence-based, data-led approach to the pandemic

The Western Cape has adopted an evidence-based, data-led approach to this unprecedented health emergency. Following top scientific advice, and using provisioning scenarios, we have planned for the worst, but intervened to ensure the best possible outcome. This is the responsibility of a caring government.

Part of this process is to continuously assess the data to ensure that we are on the right track, and that we have all the resources needed to provide the care needed.

A stabilization of the pandemic, with a decline in some areas – but extra vigilance now needed to prevent new flare-ups

Our Western Cape Department of Health has been studying a number of indicators available to us, including the positivity rate of Covid-19 tests, the number of new Covid-19 deaths, the number of Covid-19 hospitalisations in both the public and private sector, and the number of infected healthcare workers to ascertain trends in the pandemic.

All indications (from this data) are that the pandemic has started to stabilize in the Western Cape, with a decline in some areas being experienced (we are noticing different paces in different areas).

While this is good news, it does not mean that we can rest on our laurels. On the contrary, it means we must be even more vigilant. We must keep our curve moving in the right direction, in all areas – downwards. If we let our foot off the pedal now, and don’t continue to change our behaviour, then we risk new flare-ups and an acceleration of cases in the future. We cannot allow this to happen.

My message to our residents is therefore to take hope from this latest data and use it to be more determined than ever before to change your behaviour. We can all make a real difference by following the golden rules at all time, including:

• Wearing a mask whenever in public
• Washing your hands regularly with soap and water, or by using hand sanitizer
• Keeping a good distance from others, of at least 1.5 metres
• Cleaning surfaces in your home and workplace
• By not touching your face, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
• By staying home when sick and calling our hotline (021 928 4102) for advice (those with difficulty breathing and diabetic residents must seek medical care immediately).

The Western Cape Government will continue to intervene to slow the spread of the virus, using our All-of-Government, Hotspot Containment Strategy. The fight is not over: it must continue with the same rigour and determination as before.

Update on Testing

As a result of the Western Cape Government’s targeted testing strategy focussed on vulnerable groups, we have been able to prevent a backlog of tests at the NHLS. This has meant that there has been quick turnaround of test results.

The average turnaround times are as follows:

• 46 hours at a clinic
• 41 hours at a Community Development Centre
• 27 hours at a Community Healthcare Centre
• 23 hours at our hospitals

This turnaround time is allowing our health experts to intervene quicker and provide life-saving treatment where necessary.

I want to extend a thank you to the teams at the NHLS and other labs for their contribution to the fight against Covid-19.

The Western Cape’s Diabetes Action Plan – early results are promising 

As a type 2 diabetic, who has also been infected with Covid-19, the Western Cape’s Diabetes Action Plan has been very close to my heart. I am therefore very pleased to report that early results from the project are promising.

Diabetic patients who test positive for Covid-19 are contacted by our teams, and where necessary, hospitalised at the Hospital of Hope before their condition worsens. This allows for our healthcare workers to monitor their condition and ensure life-saving care is provided should they deteriorate.

Initial feedback from this project is as follows:

• 152 diabetic patients have been contacted by the clinical team
• 63 diabetic patients have then been hospitalised
• 40 of these patients have been discharged (63%), with 3 of the patients dying (4,7%)
• None of the 20 patients currently admitted are in clinical distress

This is extremely promising. Our initial data suggested that 42% of all diabetic patients admitted to hospital died. This data therefore suggests that early diagnosis and healthcare does make a big difference for this high-risk group.

The Western Cape Department of Health will publish a detailed report on these findings in due course.

Healthcare system platform update

The early indication that the pandemic is starting to ease in some areas of the Western Cape is reflected in our healthcare services platform capacity.

• The Hospital of Hope (862 beds), has admitted 1366 patients to date, and currently has 139 patients admitted. There have been 1150 discharges, and 77 deaths at this field hospital to date.
• The Brackengate Intermediate Care Facility (338 beds) has admitted 82 patients, and currently has 17 patients admitted. There have been 65 discharges and no deaths to date.
• The Thusong Centre, Khayelitsha (60 beds) has admitted 234 patients, with 21 currently admitted. There have been 176 discharges and 31 deaths to date.
• Our fourth facility, Sonstraal Hospital, should start accepting patients by 10 August 2020.
• In the Metro, the public health platform for all patients (Covid-19 and non-Covid-19) is currently at 71%.

While the platform has pressures, it is coping with the demands on it.

The Western Cape’s second “unemployment” pandemic

During today’s press conference I made clear that the Western Cape Government is committed to fighting the second, equally serious unemployment pandemic taking root in our province.

From the very beginning, I have argued that we should not treat our Covid-19 response as a zero-sum game. We can save lives now and do so in a way that will also save lives in the future.

The reality is that we are facing a serious humanitarian crisis in the Western Cape, as tens of thousands of people lose their jobs, and access to income. A job is not a ‘nice-to-have’: it is the difference between putting food on the table and starving.

We have to work with the private sector and businesses to ensure that they open safely, to slow the spread of the virus. And where they can open safely, we must allow them to do so.

For this reason, I have written to the Minster of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, and Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, to request a meeting to discuss the impact of regulations on the Western Cape’s economy and dire consequences it is having on our most vulnerable communities.

– ENDS –

28 July 2020

Tomorrow, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde will hold a digital press conference over Microsoft Teams which will provide an update on the Western Cape’s health response to Covid-19.

Premier Winde will be joined by Health Minister Nomafrench Mbombo and Health HOD, Dr Keith Cloete.

Date:  29 July 2020

Time:  12 pm

Digital platform: Microsoft Teams

Please confirm your attendance by 9am tomorrow and provide your name, surname, the name of your publication and your email address to be added to Microsoft Teams.  We will provide you with a meeting invite to the briefing, upon your confirmation. Only those who have confirmed attendance will be admitted.

27 July 2020

As of 1pm on 27 July, the Western Cape has 12 688 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 91 180 confirmed cases and 75 595 recoveries.

Cape Metro Sub-districts:

Sub-districts:

Unallocated: 6552 (5084 recovered)

Data note: It is not always possible to check and verify that the address data supplied for each new recorded 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 35 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 2897. We send our condolences to their loved ones at this time.

Four months of lockdown and how the Western Cape Government has responded:

Today marks four months since South Africa went into Lockdown, in order to slow the spread of the virus and to buy us time to prepare our health and other government systems for the peak of infections that were to come. Our responsibility was to ensure that every person received the care they need, when they needed it.

The Western Cape Government has taken this responsibility very seriously, and our teams have worked around the clock to make sure that this happened. This was made clear in our special budget tabled last week, where R3.05 billion was allocated to the fight against Covid-19 in the Western Cape. This included:

• R1.8 billion to the Department of Health for personal protective equipment, temporary field hospitals, testing and screening, and additional bed capacity;
• R400 million to the Department of Transport and Public Works for the hiring of venues and the purchase of services for quarantine and isolation facilities;
• R310 million to the Department of Education for personal protective equipment, and the sanitisation of schools;
• R84 million for humanitarian relief including inter alia:

o   R25.9 million to the Department of Social Development for an emergency food relief programme;

o   R18 million to the Department of Education for an emergency school feeding scheme; and

o   R17.8 million to the Department of Local Government for an emergency food relief programme;

• R27 million to the Department of Local Government for the coordination and implementation of the response to the pandemic in hotspots;
• R14 million to the Department of Economic Development and Tourism to support small businesses, workplace safety, and screening passengers at the George Airport; and
• R12 million to the Department of Social Development for personal protective equipment and operational support to Old Age Homes and Early Childhood Development Centres across the Western Cape.

More detailed information on the tabled budget and relevant documents, can be found on  https://www.westerncape.gov.za/provincial-treasury/news/special-adjustment-budget-address-budget-beat-covid-19-western-cape

I want to thank every person in our government for working so hard to make this happen. We are still in the midst of a serious pandemic, and we have a lot more work to do. But your hard work, and continuous dedication to saving lives has inspired me. Thank you!

To our residents: I know that you are tired, and that you wish this was all over already. I also do. The reality is that the virus is going to stay with us for some time still, as there is still no vaccine.

So we need to carry on changing our behaviour every day so that we keep ourselves, and our loved ones safe. I want to say a very big thank you to every single person who is doing so already. Millions of people across our province are following the golden rules and playing their part.

To those of you who are not yet, now is the time to join in. Wear your mask, wash your hands, keep a distance, avoid touching your face, and sneeze and cough into a tissue or the corner of your arm. If we all do this, we can keep safe, and we will save lives.

Webinar series launched to support tourism sector:

I am very concerned by the second unemployment pandemic taking shape in our province and country. We need to fight this pandemic with the same determination as we have Covid-19.

That is why I am pleased that our Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier today announced a five-part weekly webinar series for the tourism sector that aims to provide support and advice on opening safely during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This tourism webinar series is one of the many ways we are working hard to support the tourism sector, which has been hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Alert Level 3 restrictions and is facing significant job losses in the Western Cape.

The launch of the tourism webinar series follows the announcement on the 15 July of the Tourism Product Development Fund which commits a total of R5 million to support new or existing tourism products and experiences in the Western Cape.

For further details on registering for the tourism webinars, kindly follow https://www.westerncape.gov.za/news/webinar-series-launched-support-tourism-sector

Call for minute of remembrance in honour of all those who have gone before us:

Today our Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais, with the support of our Faith Based Organisations (FBO) Network and various stakeholders, called for a minute of silence every Wednesday at 12h00 in which we light a candle in remembrance of those who have lost their lives to Covid-19.

As we understand that many feel overwhelmed with emotions of sadness, depression and/or anxiety with the increasing loss felt during this difficult time, we remain committed to the mental and physical wellbeing of all those we serve because it is only with compassionate will and collaborative efforts, that we will beat this pandemic.

The Western Cape Government, together with our FBO Network offer bereavement and psycho-social support through our Departments of Social Development and Health across the province. If psycho-social support is needed, please do not hesitate to contact us on our hotline number 0800 220 250 to be connected to your nearest local office or visit https://www.westerncape.gov.za/dept/social-development. For additional support, kindly contact the bereavement helpline on 082 925 5938 or 079 872 6408 or your local faith based organization for counselling as is needed.

24 July 2020

As of 1pm on 24 July, the Western Cape has 11 785 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 88 499 confirmed cases and 73 897 recoveries.

Cape Metro Sub-districts:

Sub-districts:

Unallocated: 5961 (5069 recovered)

Data note: It is not always possible to check and verify that the address data supplied for each new recorded 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 29 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 2817. We send our condolences to their loved ones at this time.

School closures:

The Western Cape Government is concerned that the school closures announced last night by President Cyril Ramaphosa will have a greater negative impact on children’s safety than if they were to go to school.

We believe that the announcement is not based on scientific evidence and reasoning. As a province, we pride ourselves on having responded to the pandemic in a way that is both data-led and evidence driven.

We understand that for many parents, sending their children to school results in a lot of fear and anxiety. The Western Cape Government and our teachers have worked hard to ensure that those parents who do choose to keep their children at home are able to do so. But for many other parents, sending their children to school is the only option and the closure will impact these children the hardest.

Many parents who have returned to work will struggle to find safe spaces for children who are not at school over this period, putting them at risk of injury, accidents or abuse. At a time when the economy is under significant strain and we are facing an unemployment crisis, many of these parents cannot afford to stay at home for four weeks.

The closure may also impact children who rely on the meals they receive at school. While the Western Cape is the only province to have continued to feed learners throughout the lockdown period, and while schools were closed, we know that it is easier for children to access meals when they are attending schools daily. In the face of major food security threats across the country, these daily meals are essential for many children.

Additionally, daily stimulation and learning is necessary to ensure that our children do not fall behind. For many working parents, home schooling, and at home learning activities like reading, are not possible. Most impacted will be poor learners who don’t have access to online learning materials and the internet to continue to learn during this time.

As Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities David Maynier outlined in his adjustment budget yesterday, the Western Cape Department of Education has been allocated R310 million in funding to procure protective equipment and to sanitise schools. We have also seen schools across the province put in every effort to ensure that children are safe.

We can all help to slow the spread and ensure that we keep ourselves, and our loved ones safe by washing our hands, regularly cleaning down surfaces and high traffic areas in our homes and workplaces, correctly wearing a mask so that it covers both the nose and mouth, and social distancing whenever we leave home.

23 July 2020

As of 1pm on 23 July, the Western Cape has 11 991 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 87 474 confirmed cases and 72 695 recoveries.

Cape Metro Sub-districts:

Sub-districts:

Unallocated: 6039 (5029 recovered)

Data note: It is not always possible to check and verify that the address data supplied for each new recorded 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 42 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 2788. We send our condolences to their loved ones at this time.

Hotspot strategy focused on changing behaviour to slow the spread:

The hotspot strategy was implemented to reduce the numbers of infections in places where they were highest. This strategy has involved an all of government approach, with assistance from local municipalities, businesses, civil society and individuals. We know that when we work together as partners we can achieve much more in slowing the spread Covid-19 and saving lives.

–Case management:

Community healthcare workers continue to be an important part of the strategy, conducting home screenings and paying special attention to high risk groups and diabetics.

In the Cape Winelands hotspot for example, screening and testing has been conducted in homes for the elderly and protocols and guidelines, and other support have been provided. While in Klipfontein and Mitchell’s Plain, the hotspot teams have conducted compliance checks at old age homes and SASSA paypoints, and provided protocols and support to homes for the elderly and the disabled.

Our tracking and tracing has been bolstered by bringing on board the Western Cape Government call centre and by the roll out of the national government’s COVID Connect digital system, which was piloted in the province. So far we have made over 11 700 direct calls to people using our call-centre.

We continue to focus on the importance of quarantine and isolation facilities in each hotspot, and have been communicating extensively in all of our hotspot areas.

These facilities have supported 4514 people since the start of the pandemic. There are currently there were a total of 411 people in isolation and 195 in quarantine in sites in both the metro and rural facilities.

–Civil compliance and behaviour change:

The coronavirus will still be with us for a number of months to come and our focus has been on shifting behaviours to ensure that we are able to slow the spread of the virus and protect residents. We need to learn to live with this “new normal”. This focuses on all aspects of life- from individual actions like mask wearing and social distancing to business compliance, transport options and communications campaigns.

One of the major behaviours emerging in many of our hotspots is the issue of mask wearing. In some cases, masks are not being worn. We have also seen masks being worn incorrectly.

We have therefore now focusing on massive mask drives across our hotspots.

Mask donations will be shared in these hotspots to ensure that more people have access.

Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais this week launched the mask activation for the Tygerberg and Northern districts, which will take place weekly in these areas. She received 1500 masks donated by Old Mutual which will be distributed through the Department’s Treasure Box @home learning packs so that parents and care givers can also have access to masks.

In the Klipfontein and Mitchells Plain hotspots, 1623 masks were donated by Agriculture, to be distributed to urban farmers and farm workers in the City of Cape Town.

We are also focused on the management of crowds and people in public spaces.

In the Overberg, Overstrand law enforcement have conducted over 100 inspections at taxi ranks, conducted over 200 shop compliance checks, and conducted social distancing checks at municipal buildings.

In Khayelitsha, the Chrysalis graduates deployed earlier have been bolstered by neighbourhood watch groups. Earlier this month, 15 neighbourhood watch groups received training and kits, which include sanitisers, masks and tape, to mark out social distancing lines, to help them enforce compliance in their neighbourhoods.

In the Eastern region, eight neighbourhood watches will be deployed in Mfuleni.

In Klipfontein and Mitchells Plain, metro police are conducting compliance checks at schools, shops and malls, clinics, churches and civic centres.

EPWP workers have also been deployed for queue management at clinics in these areas and in Atlantis in the Western sub-district.

Also in the Western sub-district, 16 barbershops and 91 spaza shops were surveyed for COVID-19 compliance in DuNoon, and inspections were conducted in 10 Langa schools.

In the Southern sub-district, 32 hairdressers and barber shops were inspected for compliance, and educational materials shared with them.

Informal traders and spaza shops are being supplied with business safety kits by the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government, which contain sanitisers, masks, and posters and pamphlets to display in store and share with their customers.

In Overstrand, taxi ranks, the main shopping centre and the sidewalks are regularly disinfected, while in Theewaterskloof, open areas like taxi ranks and public toilets are disinfected each Friday.

New communications methods are being used in addition to our radio, print, social media and street pole campaigns.  These include branding of taxis, loud hailing in communities, and the use of trailer billboards.

The Department of Community Safety has recently started a weekly radio show on Radio Zibonele , with shows focusing on COVID-19 safety, isolation and quarantine and other important messages.

These are just some of the strategies that are being employed in our hotspots to ensure that we can slow the spread and protect our most vulnerable.

This plan is a whole of society plan and we need everyone to do their part to help.

The Coronavirus is going to be with us for a long time still and in order to ensure that the province does not experience new spikes in infection, we must all play our part. You can keep yourself and your loved ones safe by staying home as much as possible, and wearing a mask correctly, and keeping a distance of 1.5 metres between yourself and any other person when you do go out. Washing your hands, not touching your face and coughing into your arm or elbow are simple steps that we can all take to protect ourselves and others.

Brackengate discharges first patient:

Tanduxolo Mkhetshane from Town 3 Khayelitsha became the first patient to leave our brand new Brackengate temporary hospital after being discharged yesterday. He was among the first group of people through the brand new hospital’s doors when they opened on Monday, and by Wednesday, had recovered enough to go home.

Our temporary field hospitals offer intermediate care, and so many of the patients admitted there will be on their way to recovery. They allow us to ensure that those with COVID-19 who still need medical care are able to receive it, while at the relieving pressure on our acute care facilities so that more serious or complex cases can be treated there.

We wish Mr Mkhetshane all the best as he continues his journey to a full recovery at home.

We also thank all of the healthcare workers at the hospital for ensuring that Mr Mkhetshane was well taken care of. His stay may have been brief but the role you have played, and will continue to play for many more patients, is an important one.