Author: Marlene Nqumse

25 June 2020

As of 1pm on 25 June, the Western Cape has 15 251 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 56 345 confirmed cases and 39 475 recoveries.

Sub Districts Cape Town Metro:

Sub-districts:

Unallocated: 4381 (2377 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 54 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 1619. We send our condolences to their loved ones at this time.

Western Cape Government encourages people to take up comfortable Q and I:

Earlier today, I held a digicon with Minister of Transport and Public Works, Bonginkosi Madikizela and Minister of Health, Nomafrench Mbombo to provide an update on quarantine and isolation facilities in the province.

The Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works has brought online 3760 isolation and quarantine facility beds by 24 June. We will soon have 4766 beds available for residents who are not able to isolate or quarantine at their own homes.

Our approach to activating these facilities is as follows:

• All clients with severe symptoms, as well as those at high risk of Covid morbidity and mortality are assessed for the need of hospitalization.
• All those who are symptomatic and not requiring hospitalization are currently offered assisted Quarantine (with or without testing). Once the facility is filled, we then move to activate the next facility.
• The same process is followed for isolation facilities (for those confirmed to have Covid-19).

This ensures that we are not incurring costs for facilities not in use at any point.

Our strategy has been to proactively identify sites across the province, and to prepare them for activation should the need arise. This can be done quickly, as the demand for these facilities emerges.

However, we are experiencing serious challenges in filling these facilities as residents would rather stay in their own homes. There are currently 1006 people in these facilities. While this is an increase from last month, it represents a 21.11% occupancy rate of those beds that have been made available currently.

Some of the questions that are being asked by people who are unwilling to take up the offer to isolate or quarantine in these facilities are:

• Can I bring my own food?
• Who will look after my house?
• Can I leave to visit my family?
• Can I drink alcohol at the facility?

There are also concerns that people will be identified in their communities as having Covid-19 if they make use of these facilities. The fear of discrimination and rejection by communities is therefore an additional concern.

The Western Cape Government is responding to this challenge by mobilizing all sectors and civil society. In line with our existing hotspot strategy, we are adopting context sensitive approaches for each area. This includes:

• Communication strategies
• Engagement with local community leaders
• Public messaging by local personalities, and
• Behaviour change strategies

Community health workers, who are respected in their communities, also pursue engagements with households – especially with vulnerable persons at risk.

We have also re-purposed the Western Cape’s contact centre to make outbound calls to confirmed cases and contacts of these cases to encourage them to take up these facilities.

The centre has already made hundreds of calls and offers the opportunity to make use of these facilities three times, allowing for a more personal explanation of why it is worthwhile to do so.

This evening, I will be joined by Minister Madikizela on Zibonele FM as part of a series of engagements where we will discuss the benefits of making use of Q&I facilities. This is part of our ramped-up communications to help explain the benefits of Q&I.

I am also pleased that Red Dot Lite transport service is operational, safely transporting residents to these facilities.

My message to you today is to please make use of these facilities if you are unable to do so at home. These facilities are comfortable and safe.

It is understandably a difficult thing to do, and I understand leaving home is tough: but if you do so, you can make sure that you don’t spread the virus to anyone else in your home or community.

We need to think of the ones we love right now and make small sacrifices to keep them safe. Let’s do it for our grans, aunties and best friends.

To those residents who don’t require to isolate or quarantine because you do not have Covid-19 or because you are not a close contact of someone who has Covid-19, be a voice of kindness and support. Praise your friends, colleagues, family members and fellow members of the community who take up this offer.

Be compassionate and caring and reject discrimination when you encounter it. Any person can get infected -we all deserve love during this challenging time.

Modelling and provisioning in the Western Cape

The Western Cape has over 1700 patients who have tested positive with Covid-19 in hospitals. This includes both public and private facilities. Of this total, over 300 people are in ICU or high care facilities in these hospitals.

This is the highest number of Covid-19 hospitalisations to date, and we are anticipating and planning for a further increase in demand in our services.

The additional capacity provided for by the Hospital of Hope at the CTICC has already provided significant support, recording 230 admissions by 24 June. 176 people have been discharged from this field hospital to date.

Our health care system planning and provisioning is guided by modelling, which is done in conjunction with the National COVID-19 Epi Model consortium, which is the same model used by the National Government.

As a caring and responsible government, we prepare against a range of possible scenarios as guided by this technical work, including those which anticipate limited mitigation of the epidemic.

We believe it would be irresponsible to plan for an optimistic scenario, and we are then not able to provide services to those who need it.

However, I must stress that modelling is never perfect. It is based on a number of assumptions on how the virus might spread through our communities, and who might get infected. We therefore need to continuously re-assess the model by putting in new data from what is happening “on the ground” in our context.

We currently cannot be certain whether we have started approaching our peak or whether it has been pushed out, and we are therefore undertaking an additional calibration of the model using latest data and trends. We will make this new calibration public as soon as it is completed.

Health System Preparation Update:

Testing and Triage Centres

The Western Cape Government continues to open new testing and triage centres across the province.

We currently have 19 of these facilities operational, including 4 facilities outside of the Metro (Paarl, George, Worcester and Ceres).

An additional 15 facilities will be completed by the first week of July, including:

• Stellenbosch Hospital
• Robertson Hospital
• Gustrouw
• Kleinvlei
• Macassar
• Khayelitsha (Site B)
• Bothasig
• Durbanville
• Reed Street
• Symphony Way
• District Six
• Gugulethu
• Retreat
• Elsie’s River
• Du Noon
• Van Guard CHC

Further to this, some 24 testing and triage facilities will be opened in rural areas of the Western Cape, including:

• Bella Vista
• De Doorns
• Klapmuts
• Op die Berg
• Laingsburg
• Nieuveldpark
• Sandhills
• Asia Park
• Crags
• Ladismith
• Hawston
• Kleinmond
• Railton
• Citrusdal
• Diazaville
• Klawer
• Piketberg
• Riebeek West and Velddrif Clinics
• Beaufort West
• Alan Blyth and Harry Comay Hospitals
• Slangrivier Satellite Clinic
• Hermanus

Field Hospitals:

Our third temporary field hospital at Brackengate is on schedule and is expected to take its first patient on 10 July 2020. The field hospital will have 330 beds and will provide intermediate care.

The Sonstraal Hospital in the Cape Winelands will accommodate approximately 150 beds and will be undertaken in phases. 63 beds will become available in the first week of July.

Fatality Management:

The Western Cape is also making sure it is adequately prepared to manage increased fatalities. A temporary facility for this purpose is being constructed at Tygerberg Hospital and will be completed by first week of July. This is being done in conjunction with the City of Cape Town.

The use of steroids in treatment:

The use of steroids has been approved for use on our clinical platform in line with international recommendations and the MAC recommendations. This will have a positive impact on the clinical outcomes of patients infected with Covid-19. These steroids will be used for ventilated patients and those on high flow nasal oxygen.

The use of oxygen:

Oxygen has shown to have a significantly positive impact on the clinical outcomes of patients, and we are using oxygen in our facilities to manage ill patients.

An oxygen calculator has been developed that facilities can use to access their daily oxygen requirements. We have also adopted a predictive model that shows that our current average consumption is 12 tons a day and at the peak will require approximately 40 tons of oxygen daily. We have engaged with suppliers, and we have been assured of this supply.

Update on Private Sector cooperation:

A Call for Service has been issued to all Licensed Private Hospital Groups to purchase bed capacity in terms of palliative care, general, High Care and ICU. The National Department of Health has negotiated the tariffs and hospital groups have confirmed their commitment, with each nominating their chosen Admin Intermediary. The parties are busy concluding and signing SLAS and addressing operation requirements. The first few patients have been referred and admitted to test the systems.

Our heroes on the frontline:

I want to again thank every single person in our health system working tirelessly on the frontline. You are heroes and we salute you.

Staffing remains a very real challenge in our health response, because all new facilities need people to make them effective. This is happening at a time when more people are filling ill – as we have seen globally.

We have introduced a number of mitigation steps to address this, including the use of volunteers, bursar nurses and the Cuban doctor contingent.

I also very pleased that our department of health has implemented a training course to upskill nurses in intensive care management. These are skills that can be used beyond the crisis and will be of personal benefit to both the nurses and our communities.

I want to again call on all our residents to join me in celebrating our healthcare workers and other frontline staff. This is a very stressful and anxious time for them as they work tirelessly to save lives. Show your appreciation in whatever way you can – and let them know that the Western Cape is behind them.

Stay Safe. Save Lives.

During this difficult time for our province and country, the most important thing we can do is to keep ourselves safe. When we do this, we slow the spread of the virus, and help protect the ones we love.

I again call on all our residents to play their part in saving lives, by:

​-Regularly washing your hands, keeping surfaces clean and coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your arm

-Staying home as much as possible, especially if you fall into one of the risk groups

-Wearing a clean, cloth mask whenever you leave home

-Ensuring that you keep a distance of 1.5 metres between yourself and any other person

-Staying home if you are experiencing symptoms or feel unwell

-Seek medical attention if you are experiencing shortness of breath

MEDIA RELEASE BY DAVID MAYNIER

Date: 24 June 2019

Release: immediately

Supporting the Long Street Kiosks during the Covid-19 crisis

Businesses in the Western Cape have been hard hit during the Covid-19 crisis, and so we are doing everything we can to support them, especially entrepreneurs of small to medium enterprises and those in the informal sector. On Wednesday (24 June 2020), we handed over a number of small assets and marketing collateral, together with our Covid-19 Business Safety Kits, to some of the businesses operating in the Long Street Kiosks to assist them during this difficult time.

Since 2016, the Long Street Kiosks project has offered 10 Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs) formal trading spaces within the City of Cape Town Central Business District (CBD) so provide them with access to new market opportunities. During Covid-19 these businesses have shown great resilience by diversifying their products to include hand sanitisers and masks or selling their products through e-commerce..

To determine how best we can assist the Long Street Kiosk businesses, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) assessed these businesses’ current challenges and needs. This assessment identified the type of support or intervention needed for each business which included items such as blenders, coffee grinders, fridges and branded marketing materials.

In some cases, the needs identified resulted in DEDAT connecting the businesses with our partner organisations such as Productivity South Africa to provide production layout and manufacturing advice, the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) to assist with marketing and promotional material and an application to finance equipment, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to provide a knitting production specialist to support one of the beneficiaries and with Clotex to onboard the business as part of the SMME Booster Fund programme.

Zaida Abrahams from Zee Zees Halal Foods expressed her thanks to DEDAT for the donation of a stove, “Currently I can do 36 pies at a time, but this allows me to do 100 pies at a time. So my time will be managed more effectively. I can take on bigger orders, and push out more meals, so this will really help me going forward. Thank you so much.”

While, Nokuthula “Teddy” Luthuli from Smoothie On The Go, also thanked DEDAT for the donation of an industrial blenders and refrigerator, adding that “these things that we’re getting today will definitely help us a lot going forward.”

Entrepreneurs in the Western Cape have shown great resilience during the Covid-19 crisis, and we remain fully committed to supporting them to open up safely and responsibly during the Covid-19 crisis.

• To view this statement online please visit: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/news/supporting-long-street-kiosks-during-covid-19-crisis
• For broadcasters, please find soundbyte from the owners of Zee Zees Halaal Foods and Smoothie on the Go attached.

Media Queries:

Francine Higham

Spokesperson for the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities

(Responsible for the Provincial Treasury and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism)

Tel: 021 483 4327 / Cell: 071 087 5150 / Email: francine.higham@westerncape.gov.za

MEDIA RELEASE BY DAVID MAYNIER

WESTERN CAPE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Date: 23 June 2020

Release: Immediately

 Special Adjustment Budget – Time to deliver on promises made

Tomorrow (24 June 2020), the Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni, will table a special adjustment budget in Parliament, which we hope will provide clarity on the scale of national government’s financial support for the fight against Covid-19 in the Western Cape.

During the opening of the Hospital of Hope, our Covid-19 field hospital at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), on 5 June 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa made it clear that “cost is not the issue” when it came to the fight against Covid-19 in the Western Cape.

Provinces are on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19, providing the immediate healthcare response requirements, including hospitalisation and quarantine and isolation facilities.

Since the start of the crisis, R1.65 billion has been committed towards Covid-19 related expenditure across government in the Western Cape.  We have made a huge effort to reprioritise expenditure, within the existing budget, to support the fight against Covid-19 in the Western Cape.

However, despite significant reprioritisation, and commitment of reserves, financial support from national government will be required to support the fight against Covid-19 in the Western Cape.

Tomorrow, we hope the Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni,  will use the special adjustments budget to deliver on the promises made by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Hospital of Hope in Cape Town.

 Notes for media: 

• Please find soundbyte from Minister Maynier attached
• To view the statement online visit:  https://www.westerncape.gov.za/provincial-treasury/news/special-adjustment-budget-time-deliver-promises-made

Media Queries:

Francine Higham

Spokesperson for the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities

(Responsible for the Provincial Treasury and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism)

Cell: 071 087 5150 / Email: francine.higham@westerncape.gov.za

22 June 2020

As of 1pm on 22 June, the Western Cape has 13 969 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 51 351 confirmed cases and 35 958 recoveries.

Sub Districts Cape Town Metro:

Sub-districts:

Unallocated: 4034 (2090)

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 25 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 1424. We send our condolences to their families and friends at this time.

Update on the COVID-19 awareness campaign:

Over the weekend, thousands of posters have been put up across the metro as part of our COVID-19 awareness campaign in our hotspot areas. Posters will continue to go up in the City of Cape Town and in our non-metro regions this week.

About 10 000 of these posters will be erected, forming part of the biggest public awareness campaign on record in the Western Cape. Their message in isiXhosa, English and Afrikaans is that by taking measures to keep ourselves safe such as staying at home, and wearing a mask, we are also able to protect our loved ones and family members who may be more at risk of infection.

Active cases:

The Western Cape currently has almost 14 000 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. The term “active case” refers to a patient who is currently infected. A case is considered closed when a person has recovered, or in the event of a death.

Recoveries significantly outnumber active cases in the province but we must still do everything we can to ensure that we are keeping safe, as those 14 000 people have the potential to infect many more people in their families and communities.

As a province, we are continuously re-assessing the data available to us to give us an indication of when the virus peak will occur. These models are predictions based on the best available data at the time, and it is impossible to pinpoint exactly when this will happen but by taking additional care now, and managing the number of active cases, we can help to slow the spread and help to save lives.

Our active case management strategy has focused on:

Screening and referral for testing of vulnerable people and households

Screening in old aged homes

Strengthening of our telephonic follow up of positive cases and contacts system

Referring residents to isolation and quarantine sites where self- isolation is not possible or viable

Early identification of high-risk cases for active case management.

Members of the public can contribute to reducing active cases by:

-Staying home as much as possible to avoid becoming infected, especially if you fall into one of the risk groups

-Practicing hygiene and social distancing

-Wearing a mask

-Avoiding gatherings

-Staying home if you feel ill

-Taking up isolation and quarantine in one of our facilities if you are not able to do this at home or run the risk of infecting loved ones living with you

Businesses re-opening:

This week, a number of personal care businesses which have not been able to trade for the duration of the lockdown will begin to trade again.

Many of these business owners and the people they employ have been significantly impacted by the lock down. Being able to trade again will help to ease the financial burden they have been suffering under, and give people the opportunity to start earning money to feed their families again.

While this is important for so many business owners and families across the province, we must not forget that we are still in the midst of a pandemic which has had, and will continue to have very serious consequences for many people. More sectors will also be coming online soon and I would like to make an appeal to these businesses to always act with the best interests of their clientele and their staff at heart and abide by the restrictions and regulations put in place to ensure maximum safety.

This means ensuring that facilities are available for hand washing or sanitizing and that surfaces are regularly cleaned to avoid your business becoming an infection site. You also need to make sure that you carefully manage the number of people on your business premises at any given time to allow for social distancing.

Customers must also act responsibly by wearing a mask and to stay at home if they feel unwell, rather than putting people at risk when frequenting any of these businesses or services. If you encounter businesses which are not complying with safety regulations, you can report them here: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/covid-19-business-safety-complaint-form

21 June 2020

As of 1pm on 21 June, the Western Cape has 13 109 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 50 067 confirmed cases and 35 559 recoveries.

Sub Districts Cape Town Metro:

Sub-districts:

Unallocated: 3780 (1988 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 26 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 1399. We send our condolences to their families and friends at this time.

Red Dot Taxi Service Update:

The Red Dot Taxi Service, implemented by the Departments of Transport and Public Works and Health as part of our hotspot strategy, has since its launch on 18 May, transported approximately 12000 healthcare workers working at 15 healthcare facilities, over a distance of 150 000 km.

The Western Cape Government has partnered with the local taxi industry to create a fleet of almost 200 Red Dot taxis. The service provides safe transport home for an average of 450 healthcare workers each evening. The taxis observe strict hygiene and social distancing protocols, which include a screen between the driver and passengers, sanitizing of the vehicle between each trip, compulsory wearing of masks and only carrying half of the vehicle capacity.

The Red Dot taxis also transport people to and from the Western Cape Government’s isolation and quarantine facilities. Since launching at the end of May, this service has transported approximately 1 1100 people.

Our healthcare workers are incredibly important in the fight against COVID-19 and this service is one additional way in which we are working to protect them. We can also help to reduce the spread of the virus by ensuring that people traveling to our isolation and quarantine facilities, do so in designated vehicles.

Courage on the frontlines:

Today, I would  like to acknowledge the healthcare workers and staff of Ward C13 at Groote Schuur Hospital. This team of high care staff had to care for one of their own colleagues, Sister June Anita Richards, who became ill after contracting COVID-19.

Sister Richards was admitted to the very same high care ward she has worked in for 20 years, earlier this month, where she was treated using high flow nasal oxygen which was recently introduced as an alternative to ventilation at the hospital.

Sister Richards was discharged from hospital last week. We wish her well on her road to full recovery and thank all of the doctors, nurses and hospital staff who contributed to her recovery.

The team of C13 are among thousands of heroes who are fighting COVID-19 on the front lines. I would also like to thank all of the healthcare workers and hospital staff who have played such a major role in the province’s response to COVID-19, whose courage, commitment and care are helping to save lives. On behalf of the Western Cape Government and the residents of this province, I thank you all for your service.

Preparing for the peak:

Some epidemiological models, including the National Covid-19 Epi Model (NCEM) which is relied on by the national government for forecasting, have estimated that the province will experience its peak soon. While we cannot pinpoint the exact date at which we will reach this peak, we are experiencing increased pressure in our hospitals. At the same time, the economy is opening up further, with personal care services re-opening this weekend and other sectors expected to open soon. Now is therefore the time to be extra vigilant to slow the spread.

Precautions you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones:

• Regular handwashing and hygiene measures which include coughing into your elbow or a tissue, regular cleaning of surfaces at home or at work, and not touching your face.
• Stay at home whenever possible. Do not go to places where groups of people gather unless necessary. Do not visit family or friends to socialise as this could put everyone at risk.
• Always keeping a distance of at least 1.5 metres between yourself and any other person when you are not at home. This includes in the workplace, in queues, on public transport or anywhere where people gather.
• Wearing a clean, cloth mask whenever you leave home. Wearing your mask correctly and at all times, not only protects you but can prevent you from making others sick.
• Stay at home if you feel sick.
• Seek medical care if you experience shortness of breath
• If you are over the age of 55 or you have an underlying illness, you are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill or dying. It is therefore important that you take extra precautions and stay home wherever possible.
• Those who are healthy should assist those at higher risk with tasks like shopping or errands that require them to leave the house.

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