Western Cape COVID-19 cases creeping towards 500

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Western Cape have climbed to 446, according to premier Alan Winde.

The province is one of the hardest-hit in South Africa, second to only Gauteng, and the two regions account to over a thousand of the country’s reported infections.

Western Cape closes in on 500 COVID-19 cases

The country’s toll was reported to be sitting at 1 505 on Friday night with a total of seven death recorded.

According to Winde, more people have since been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus in the province, driving the total number towards 500. This is an increase of 28 in less than 24 hours since an official figure of 418 was reported in the region on Friday.

Winde’s address comes just as the Western Cape kickstarted its community screening programme, which began on Saturday.

“Credit must be given to the teams at the department of health who are implementing this programme so quickly,” he said.

Alan Winde

The mass screening programme comes with concerns over civilians’ vulnerability to criminals posing as healthcare workers, but Winde has assured residents that the people employed to carry out the screening are easily identifiable.

“Members of the public are advised to request the person’s credentials as part of rigorous safety precautions,” said Winde.

“We urge community members to welcome the community health workers and to co-operate with them.”

Alan Winde

Cape Town remains province’s coronavirus hotbed

The province’s most populated area, the city of Cape Town has the highest volume of infected people in the Western Cape.

The city accounts for 347 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with the Garden Route registering 45 infections, while the Cape Winelands and Overberg have recorded 28 and 10 respectively.

Three are in the West Coast, while a total of 13 cases have not been allocated to a specific area.

Gauteng remains the epicentre of the virus in South Africa, with 672 confirmed cases reported as of the last update.

Another province to have crossed triple figures is KwaZulu-Natal, with 215 infections in total.

National Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize is expected to give another COVID-19 update on Saturday.