Re: WHO says 294,237 cases have been recorded in 24 hours Archived Message
Posted by margo on August 16, 2020, 4:17 pm, in reply to "WHO says 294,237 cases have been recorded in 24 hours"
Mary, expanding on your "South Africa's president says infections appear to have peaked in the country", here's a quick snapshot of what's happening as the end of winter appears to herald a healthier spring? - South Africa yesterday shifted from Level 3 to Level 2: business open; alcohol and cigarette bans lifted; inter-provincial travel allowed; masks still worn etcetera. But the official 'State of Disaster' - giving government overriding emergency powers - has been expanded for another month - One of SA's biggest "Nightingale" COVID hospitals (CTICC) has now been closed, due to low number of admissions at field hospitals, generally. Fewer people presenting with symptoms, fewer require admission - over last three weeks, number of new confirmed cases has dropped from a peak of over 12,000 a day to an average of around 5,000 a day - recovery rate now stands at 80% - cumulative number of cases is high at 583,653, however deaths are comparatively low at 11,667 (initial government estimates put projected deaths at 200 000 to 300 000) - the virus appears to have peaked in several provinces, including the Western Cape, Eastern Cape (which has most under-resourced hospitals in country), Gauteng and possibly KwaZulu - while the 5-month lockdown has been strict and effective in middle class areas, the fact is that proper lockdown was impossible to effect among millions in over-crowded slums and townships, where self-isolation and social distancing were pipe-dreams. Add in the fact that small church gatherings and crowded taxis were allowed, it's surprising that spread and deaths weren't higher
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