Be wary of the rising numbers with the Covid-19 pandemic, but don’t be afraid.
This, in short, is the message Monday morning from Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa in his latest newsletter.
Ramaphosa believes the number of people in the country infected by the coronavirus will cross the 50,000 mark this week, while the death toll will rise to more than 1,000.
He says the figures are in line with the models used by the government.
The reality is, it is easier to look at models on paper and computer screens than it is when it becomes a reality and more people get sick or die.
Ramaphosa says the restriction reached its target by slowing the spread of the virus and that the country’s health facilities could be prepared before the pandemic reached its expected peak.
“I am pleased to see that South Africans wash their hands regularly and wear their face masks. What bothers me is that there is not always a healthy distance between people in public places. We must focus on maintaining a healthy distance, because it is through close contact that the virus spreads faster. ”
Although the Western Cape is the country’s focal point of the pandemic where about two-thirds of all Covid-19 infections occur, he is impressed with the measures taken by this province to make sure there are enough hospital beds and medical supplies for the sharp increase in patients.
This includes the establishment of field hospitals, including those at the Cape Town International Convention Center in the city center.
“Yet, despite all the preparations they have made, they (the Western Cape) will need more beds when the pandemic reaches its peak. They will need help from outside the province. This includes additional funding and health professionals, ”Ramaphosa writes.
It was the right thing to declare the pandemic a national disaster.
“We need to deploy all the essential resources we have in the country. We need an integrated strategy in which all three levels of government – national, provincial and local – work together. ”
In addition to the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape is the province where the number of infections is currently rising fastest.
“We know some of the infections were caused by people who traveled from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape.
“It shows us that no part of the country is an island and that all South Africans must be vigilant and prepared,” says Ramaphosa.
“While the infections are likely to increase faster than most people expected, we should be concerned, but not worried.
“This is because we as individuals, as communities and the country have the ability to limit the effects of the disease on our people.”
