South Africa passes peak of third Covid-19 wave as it reviews lockdown restrictions on Sunday
Acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says that indications point to South Africa having passed the peak of a third Covid-19 wave.
Kubayi said in a media briefing on Friday morning (23 July), that while this is welcome news, there are still concerns that the recent unrest and looting in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal could lead to a spike in infections.
It is hoped that a ramp-up of the country’s vaccination efforts will help address any future surges. Kubayi said South Africa is now vaccinating around 250,000 people daily, with plans to vaccinate 300,000 people each day in the next few weeks.
To bolster the vaccine rollout programme, the government will keep more public vaccination sites open over the weekend, with all public sites set to offer weekend vaccinations by August, the acting minister said.
The government is also expected to announce the next cohort of people who can register for the vaccine in the next week, with a focus on people aged 18 years and older.
Kubayi said that a National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) meeting around the country’s current lockdown restrictions is scheduled for Sunday (25 July).
South Africa moved to an adjusted level 4 lockdown at the end of June following a spike in infections, particularly in Gauteng. This placed a ban on all gatherings and the sale of alcohol, imposed a stricter evening curfew, and led to the closure of all schools for an extended period beyond the mid-year break.
The Department of Basic Education has already indicated that it is proceeding with plans to reopen schools, with Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga also expected to brief the nation on Sunday.
South Africa recorded 14,858 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the total reported cases to 2,342,330.
Deaths have reached 68,625, while recoveries have climbed to 2,109,820, leaving the country with a balance of 163,885 active cases. The total number of vaccines administered stands at 6,085,108.
7-day moving average
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