KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala, said that it is with a deep sense of concern the office can confirm that, as a province, with reliably advised by medical experts that KZN are now well and truly in the third wave of Covid-19. The province has for the past three consecutive days, recorded more than 3 000 new cases, and is reporting the second-highest number of daily confirmed cases.
“Our third wave appears to be due to the sustained increase in the rate of new infections. The surge in cases appears to have been driven, in the main, by the recent large gatherings by people engaging in looting and destruction of property; and an increase in interprovincial travel; and large gatherings at pubs and restaurants, which I will touch on a bit later,” said Zikalala, during a media briefing.
He said that an increase in cluster cases was also reported, with schools emerging as the biggest contributor in this regard. In fact, more than 120 schools have reported clusters in their school settings; and more than 800 learners and educators have been affected. Learners make up at least 95% of this number, while educators account for the remaining 5%. In the latest 24-hour reporting cycle, our Province has registered a total of 3 445 confirmed Covid-19 cases, which has pushed the total number of cases to
427 908.
KwaZulu-Natal currently has 40 703 active cases of Covid-19 and has registered 12 535 deaths overall, due to the pandemic. Thankfully, 373 806 people have recovered. Our Province, nevertheless, remains the third highest in terms of laboratory-confirmed cases, contributing 16% or 427 908 of the cases countrywide.
The average number of cases recorded daily, using the 7-day moving average, was 2 518 cases per day. In the past week (week 32), the province observed a 31% increase in the number of new cases (4 641 cases).
The province has also had an increase in the incidence risk from 116 to 131 cases per 100 000 population group. The increase occurred in eight districts, with the exception of Amajuba, uThukela and Umzinyathi; while eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, Ilembe, King Cetshwayo and Zululand observed a drastic increase in cases. With the rise in confirmed cases in the province, we have also noted an increase in the number of deaths. Over the past week, we have noted a 16% increase in the number of deaths as compared to the week before. The fatality rate now stands at 3% (3% deaths among people who tested positive), with a mortality rate of 110 deaths per 100 000 population group (risk of dying in the KZN population and respective Districts due to Covid-19).
Harry Gwala, Amajuba, Umkhanyakude and Umzinyathi districts have an even higher case fatality rate, at more than 4%.
In terms of the mortality rate, Amajuba District stands at 174 deaths per 100 000 population group, followed by uMgungundlovu at 171 cases per 100 000 population group, and King Cetshwayo at 120 deaths per 100 000. “The number of deaths occurring at home increases on a daily basis, which is also concerning, because these are people whose lives might have been saved, had they presented themselves to our hospitals.”
