The province will prioritise Covid-19 testing of health workers and those over 55 with comorbidities
Prof Salim Abdool Karim says the rest of the country can expect Covid-19 to affect it in the same way it has spread in the Western Cape.The Western Cape, home to almost two-thirds of confirmed Covid-19 cases, is providing the rest of the country with a taste of things to come.
“We are now in stage five of going to hotspots, but that started in the Western Cape two weeks ago,” said Abdool Karim. After the death of a fifth Western Cape health worker from Covid-19, Cloete said a shift of emphasis would bump health staff to the top of the queue for Covid-19 tests, alongside the third of patients regarded as most vulnerable.Western Cape premier Alan Winde is in quarantine after coming into contact with eNCA cameraman Lungile Tom, who died of Covid-19 on May 13.Premier Alan Winde said testing and lab capacity were “under severe strain”.
Emphasising a zero-tolerance approach for infractions of social-distancing norms, Cloete said the “severe stress” on testing and laboratory capacity meant a large number of undetected Covid-19 cases would continue to grow.Dr Keith Cloete, head of the Western Cape health department, said a risk-stratified case-management approach would prioritise over-55s with comorbidities, who were most likely to suffer severe cases of Covid-19.
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