COVID-19: Third wave has peaked, but numbers still high – Gauteng govt

It seems the worst could be over for South Africa, in its battle against COVID-19, however the Gauteng government has urged residents to still be cautious and not be complacent, warning the number of infections remains high at this point.

“The number of COVID-19 deaths, and test positivity remain high; higher than at the peak of the second wave. We are not out of the woods and must not let our guard down,” Gauteng government spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga said.

As of Saturday morning, 24 July 2021, there are 43 549 active cases of COVID-19 in Gauteng, while the country in total has 153 778 active cases. The number of infections in the province continue to drop, however hospitals are under immense pressure.

“The risk of spreading the infection from person to person in the community is still very high. We should therefore avoid super spreader events which could easily lead to outbreaks and spark a resurgence”

Gauteng government spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga

SA out of COVID-19 third wave

All this comes as Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane announced that South Africa had passed the third wave of infection, but warned in the same breath that the recent riots that rocked parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, could lead to another surge in COVID-19 cases in the affected communities.

“All indications are that we have passed the peak of the third wave and the overall number of cases have started to decline,” Kubayi-Ngubane said on Friday morning, 23 July, during a briefing together with other department officials.

“However, we are cautioning, and we are extremely worried because of the many gathering that we saw during the unrest in the two provinces, may lead to another surge in numbers,” she added.