COVID-19 is expected to kill between 5,500 to 6,000 people in the Eastern Cape over the next four months – the projected deaths are expected to happen when the virus peaks between October and November. News24 reports that the disturbing projection is contained in a report compiled by the Eastern Cape provincial command council which also reveals that the province does not have enough capability in place to manage the demand of the pandemic.
The report said: "If the modelling is correct the Eastern Cape is at the start of an exponential increase in deaths over the next three months. Based on the projections the cumulative death toll could be between 6,000 and 5,500. These peaks could be reached between October and November. This would require that infrastructure and support services would have to be put in place as a matter of urgency to deal with potential situations."
News24 reports that the Eastern Cape now has the second highest rate of infections in the country with 6 341 cases, 127 deaths and 2 666 recoveries. The Western Cape has the highest infection rate.
National Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the province's hotspots will be divided into sub-districts to better manage the fight against the pandemic through regional responses. "The hotspot strategy is to facilitate a strong community-based response… Decentralisation is particularly important for rural areas to ensure they are adequately capacitated and empowered to successfully manage the epidemic locally," Mkhize is quoted in News24 as saying.
[link url="https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/covid-19-projections-eastern-cape-could-see-6-000-deaths-in-next-3-months-20200609"]Full News24 report[/link]
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-06-09-eastern-cape-covid-19-death-toll-predicted-to-hit-6000-by-peak-in-november/"]Full report in The Times[/link]