South Africa is very concerned about the spread of the Delta variant on its territory. It could be the aggravating factor for a third wave of epidemics going on in the country.
as reported from Johannesburg, Romain Song
The vast majority of new cases are concentrated in the province of Gauteng, which is the most populous in South Africa with the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria. If the Delta variant has not yet been massively identified there due to lack of available data, the virus’ progression suggests that it is already very much present there. Its very high virality would explain the explosion of new pollutants that are putting South African hospitals under pressure.
Lack of beds, lack of staff and the army in support, the province of Gauteng is now facing a crisis of unprecedented magnitude. About 6,300 people are currently in hospital there due to Covid-19.
The pressure is increasing in hospitals, testifies Caroline Maslo, a specialist in infectious diseases in the private medical group Netcare: “The situation is very tense, but we are still coping. We have maximized our capacity when it comes to beds, we have opened tents at the entrance to hospitals to be able to handle the influx of patients. We may need to make choices about receiving patients based on their life expectancy, comorbidity, and functional status. ”
Relatively untouched by the previous waves, a small part of the population in the province of Gauteng has developed immune protection. The third wave is already stronger than the previous ones, says Caroline Maslo. “We have already seen an increase of 50% in the number of patients compared to the two previous waves. So if the number of cases continues to increase, as we fear, it will be very difficult. ”
In the middle of the winter season, there are all the conditions for the virus to circulate more. Without counting on a slow motion vaccination campaign. Only 4% of the population has been vaccinated.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will speak to the nation this Sunday, June 27 at 8 pm He is expected to announce new restrictions. In South Africa, the death toll is about 60,000.
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