62% rise in Covid cases, but numbers still low

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Garden Route had a 62% increase in the number of newly reported Covid-19 cases in the past seven days compared with the previous seven days.

According to Nadia Ferreira, district spokesperson for the Western Cape Health Department, this is the first increase the district has had since the last wave.

"Numbers are still small. Sadly, we have had two Covid-related deaths since 20 April."

As at Tuesday 25 April, there were 285 active cases in the Garden Route of which 107 were in George.

Garden Route and Central Karoo Director of Health, Zee Brickles, says the the department is drafting a resurgence plan for the entire province and is also considering service redesign.

"Within the Garden Route district our sub-districts are busy revising their Covid-19 resurgence strategy. We have ensured that our facilities are adequately equipped to accommodate a sudden increase in new cases. We are able also to rearrange services at short notice to accommodate Covid patients. At the moment, though, our services are coping and not experiencing significant service pressure."

Brickles said according to the latest information from 20 April, the percentage of the Garden Route population that has received at least one vaccine dose stands at 51,6%. "We encourage people over 50 years to get their vaccinations and booster vaccinations as soon as possible to ensure they are protected during the fifth wave."

Vaccinations sites at Thembalethu CDC (Sandkraal Road), George Central Clinic, Pacaltsdorp Clinic and Uniondale Hospital are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

As at Tuesday 26 April the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported 5 062 new cases in 24 hours in South Africa and the positivity rate was 18,4%. Six deaths were recorded in the preceding 24 to 48 hours.

The national positivity rate has been rising over the past month. On 1 April it was 6,1%.

Omicron sub-lineages

According to the NICD, the Omicron variant is still the dominant variant, although new sub-lineages have made their appearance. While BA.1 was the predominant sub-lineage in January (55%), BA.2 dominated in February (86%), March (80%) and April (53%). Two additional Omicron sub-lineages (BA.4 and BA.5) have recently been identified. BA.4 and BA.5 became more prevalent in March (16%), and appear to be increasing in April (44%). The Network for Genomic Surveillance is working to determine the impact of the BA.4 and BA.5 mutations.

According to a United Nations report, World Health Organisation lead epidemiologist Dr Maria van Kerkhove said that these two sub-lineages have also been reported in some European countries. So far, they did not seem to be more severe or transmissible.

The Covid figures for the Garden Route as at Monday 25 April.