Pretoria reaches Covid-19 peak – experts

Tshwane region three, which consists of Atteridgeville, Laudium, Pretoria CBD, Hercules, Danville, Saulsville, Lotus Gardens and Pretoria West, remained a hotspot area with a total of 7 150 cases as of Saturday.

Areas in the east of Pretoria which recorded quite a high number were Eersterust, Lethabong, Mamelodi, Silver Lakes, Garsfontein, Lynnwood, Queenswood, Wilgers, Watlloo, Equestria, Mooikloof and Brummeria, having 4 358 cases and 1 380 recoveries as of Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Gauteng province recorded about 5 000 cases daily in the past week, and Johannesburg remained the epicentre.

Speaking at the provincial coronavirus command council media briefing, health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku said the surge in cases was expected “as we are already in the peak”.

Masuku welcomed the new regulations announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last Sunday, that included the immediate suspension of the sale of alcohol and the introduction of the curfew at 21:00, adding that these “will help in reducing the spread of the pandemic”.

Masuku said although the province was already the epicentre of Covid-19 cases, the department expected even higher cases from the beginning of August and mid-September.

“We are continuously strengthening the comprehensive healthcare response by taking necessary measures to boost the infrastructure and medical equipment in all our healthcare facilities to meet the increasing demand for the foreseeable future,” he said.

“We continue to work with the private sector and national government to increase publicity in public facilities. While the number of new cases continues to rise, the bulk of people admitted to hospital do recover.”

According to the director of Netcare’s north-eastern region Dr Erich Bock, there has been an increase in the number of Covid-19 positive individuals admitted to Netcare’s eight care hospitals in Pretoria (Akasia, Bougainville, Femina, Jakaranda, Montana, Moot, Pretoria East and Unitas hospitals).

Bock said the time which Covid-19 positive patients spent at the hospitals varied, depending on the severity of their condition.

“It should, however, be noted that our experience to date is that only about 20% of people contracting the virus will need hospitalisation, and of those patients, only about 25% to 30% will need treatment in critical care units,” he said.

“We can confirm that our hospitals in Pretoria currently do have the capacity to provide treatment to more Covid-19 and other patients,” he said.

“In anticipation of the surge, Netcare had increased the number of critical care beds and equipment in our Pretoria hospitals and has recently also procured additional high flow oxygen devices as many Covid-19 patients’ condition is of such a nature that they can be treated in general wards with high flow nasal oxygen.”

He said comorbidities such as heart or blood vessel disease, respiratory and pulmonary disease, hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes contributed to more severe illness in persons who contracted Covid-19.

“All South Africans should take Covid-19 very seriously. Now, more than ever before, every person should play their part in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. It is the responsibility of each and every South African to maintain safe practices to minimise the risk of the virus spreading.”

He advised people with chronic illnesses or comorbidities – especially those over the age of 55 – to remain in close contact with their doctor or relevant medical treating specialist, not only to manage existing conditions but also to monitor any new symptoms that may arise.

“If a person develops a new symptom, whether or not it is commonly associated with Covid-19, it is safer not to ignore it but seek medical advice so that medical care can be provided promptly, where needed. From what we know of Covid-19 so far, better outcomes for many health conditions are usually achieved with early treatment.”

Regular washing of hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based spray or gel, keeping a distance of at least a metre from others; wearing a mask in the correct way when in public areas, minimising travelling and disinfecting any surfaces being touched regularly, remain the most important in preventing the spread of Covid, he said.

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