Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. File picture: Mamusa Ndzeku
THE MINISTER of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said on Sunday that there is an action plan in place if a resurgence of Covid-19 hits the country, adding that the department will keep an eye on certain provinces.
The Health Minister held a Covid-19 briefing on Sunday to outline the response to the pandemic and South Africa’s readiness to deal with a possible resurgence.
The key resurgence plan actions include heightened surveillance, differentiated approach at a district and sub-district level, ramping up testing and contact tracing on a needs basis, case management readiness and enabling appropriate quarantine and isolation in hot spots. There will also be ongoing risk communication to sustain adherence to NPIs.
“We have seen an increase in activities in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. We can’t say this is a new surge but we are observing these areas,” said Mkhize.
He said more testing will be done in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
Mkhize stressed that all South Africans should use containment measures such as social distancing, wearing masks and using hand sanitiser.
"We can't say we have the second wave yet. We are seeing cluster outbreaks and if we do not manage these cluster activities, it could flare up.“
Mkhize noted that other countries are experiencing a second wave.
The countries that got the first wave earlier are in the second wave. It is also worth noting that the second wave is worse than the first one in these countries.
The cumulative number of cases in South Africa now stands at 751,024 and the death toll at 20,241. The fatality rate stands at 2.7%
There have been a total of 693,467 recoveries.