There are serious concerns relating to the accuracy of data being provided with regards to provincial COVID-19 statistics in the Eastern Cape, as well as the lack of daily, updated information. This is extremely concerning, as potentially false information is being spread, while accurate, collated information is being withheld.
Information is power. Not only should the members of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature be provided regular and detailed daily updates from an oversight perspective, but in times of crisis such as these, residents need to be kept up to date on what is being done to assist them.
Even more frustrating though, is that there are substantially differing numbers of positive COVID-19 cases being circulated, with the main culprit being the Nelson Mandela Bay district.
There are lists being circulated on social media, purporting to come from the Joint Operations Centre, which do not align with the provincial statistics being released. Accurate and clearly presented information is, however, released to the Department of Health’s district offices on a daily basis, but this information is apparently not for public consumption.
Why? Does the provincial leadership think that the public will not find out about all the close contacts of COVID-19 patients that have, to date, not been located or tested?
It is the very citizens of this province that are reporting such cases to health officials. It is also members of the public that are reporting those who have attended funerals, which have been linked to current hotspots in the province.
The fight against this pandemic requires that we all work together, and this requires that we are all kept abreast of the daily infection rate, deaths and recoveries in the province.
This needs to be broken down to district and community level so that citizens are informed of hotspots and danger zones, so that they can take steps to avoid them.
We also need to know daily screening numbers per community per district, as well as daily testing numbers per district. We should also be informed of the daily track and trace programmes across the province.
In this way, all public representatives can keep members of the public informed as to activities in their area or community.
We know that our health system is compromised and that many of our people are vulnerable, as a result of illness or advanced age.
Despite these challenges, we can beat this virus together, but only if we are all kept informed of daily statistics. In this way, we are empowered to assist those living in or near COVID-19 hotspots and thus contribute to minimising the impact of such hotspots on our citizens.
Issued by Jane Cowley (MPL) Eastern Cape shadow MEC for Health