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According to KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala, the COVID-19 pandemic has officially entered the fourth wave. He notes that KZN has seen a considerable increase in the daily rate of illnesses during the last three weeks.
“The number of daily cases that have been registered in the past seven days has been rising at an alarming rate. In fact, it is twice the number received two weeks ago. Clearly a new wave of infections is fast rising and the Omicron variant is the driver behind this new wave of infections.”
Three weeks ago, the province had a positivity rate of 0.7%. As of Sunday, 5 December 2021, the positivity rate jumped to 12.7%.
From 26 November 2021, KZN began receiving more than 100 new cases each day, with the average number of cases increasing from 47 to 362 per day. Over the last seven days, the incidence risk per 100 000 population has climbed from 3 to 18 cases per 100 000 people.
As a result, Zikalala stresses, “All of these developments indicate that we have now entered the fourth wave.”
The number of people admitted to hospitals has also grown. Patients that require ICU and ventilation fall into this category.
“We can confirm that the vast majority of those patients who require treatment in ICU and ventilation are those who have not been vaccinated.”
Furthermore, there has also been a noticeable increase in the infection rate among persons aged 30 to 50. Hypertension, diabetes, and tuberculosis remain the three most common co-morbidities.
KZN vaccination update
While expressing gratitude to all individuals who have benefited from initiatives such as the Siyagoma Waya Waya and the Vooma Immunization campaigns, Zikalala expressed the government’s disappointment with the low vaccination rate.
“With the advent of the highly infectious OMICRON variant, we are pleading with citizens to get the jab, so that their bodies are able to fight the virus if it enters their body.”
As of 4 December 2021, the province had administered over 4 million vaccine shots to 2 645 million people, representing 36% of the province’s population. This is an embarrassment considering the globe is going through extraordinary struggles to save lives and end the spread of the virus.
Yet, in South Africa, unqualified people make childish statements like, “my body, my choice.” However, these people are not conscious of the fact that it is all our bodies and lives that the medical sector is trying to protect. Ironically, it is the unvaccinated spreading and breeding strains. Therefore, how many more times will it evolve, and how many more anti-vaxxers will need to end up in ICU before people wake up?
Conclusion
Zikalala argues that as the number of infections climbs, we must remember that we have been here before.
“About a year ago, during the December holidays, we lost many people due to COVID – 19. Mainly, this was due to COVID – 19 safety protocols not being followed. We had people having large gatherings and Christmas parties, and the virus could spread.
We did not have a vaccine back then, but now we do. So, it is simple. If we want to avoid getting sick, dying from COVID – 19 or infecting others with the virus, we must get vaccinated, follow the safety protocols and limit our movements. That way, we will avoid overwhelming our healthcare system, and prevent the massive tragedy that we saw last year.”
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