Health
(a) What is the number of COVID-19 tests that have been conducted in the province for the period (i) 1 April to 31 May 2020 and (ii) 1 June to 20 July 2020, (b) what is the number of contacts that have been traced between 1 June and 20 July 2020, (c) what circumstances have led to the slow transmission of COVID-19 in the province between June and July 2020 and (d) what are the reasons for the high COVID-19 fatalities in the Western Cape as compared to other provinces with higher infections?
(a) (i) 188 435
(ii) 215 982
(b) Contact tracing is carried our through numerous entities and we do not have access to all the systems. This number is therefore likely an undercount but it is estimated to be around 120 000 for the period.
(c) Our preventative interventions to support people to practice the necessary personal protective measures such as mask wearing, hand and surface hygiene, respiratory ettiquiette and physical distancing has helped in slowing the spread of the virus. Our medical interventions, such as the use of high flow nasal oxygen and the use of steroids to treat serious cases of COVID-19, are starting to pay off. Though our number of infections in the Metro are declining, we are aware of small pockets in the Garden Route which requires monitoring. Our latest data indicates that we have passed our ‘peak’ and that our metro hospitals are 69% full, down from 71% the week before (all patients).
(d) The Western Cape has a collaborative relationship with the private health sector and the Medical Research Council (MRC), which has enabled more accurate reporting of deaths related to COVID-19. The Department has also been tracking its death reports, in relation to the Report on Weekly Deaths in South Africa, published by the MRC and the province has the smallest margin of discrepancy when compared to the weekly reported excess natural deaths.
