With the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and the increase in trauma cases, South Africa\u2019s hospitals are almost full to capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur hospitals, both private and public, are already close to full capacity in a number of provinces, and ICU beds are either full already or rapidly filling up,\u201d said President Cyril Ramaphosa.<\/p>\n
South Africa has breached the one million mark of confirmed COVID-19 cases after 9 502 cases were reported on Sunday, bringing the cumulative total to 1 004 413 cases.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to the data we have, with every relaxation of the restrictions on the sale of alcohol, the number of trauma cases reporting at our hospitals has increased.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese trauma cases are putting an unnecessary strain on our already stretched public health facilities,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n
He was addressing the nation on Monday, on developments in relation to the country\u2019s response to the Coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
The address follows a meeting on Sunday of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) and Monday\u2019s special sessions of the President\u2019s Coordinating Council (PCC) and Cabinet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the Eastern Cape, for example, the number of hospitalisations and in-hospital deaths has now surpassed the numbers witnessed in the first surge earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral provinces are hard at work to prepare additional beds, ventilators and oxygen to respond to this increase,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n
He said frontline healthcare workers, who have put their lives on the line over the past nine months to care for the ill, are becoming infected in higher numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are exhausted, and they are struggling under the strain of the second wave. During the month of December, 4 630 public sector health employees contracted COVID-19, bringing the total number infected since the start of the pandemic to over 41 000,\u201d President Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n
He described the frontline healthcare workers as brave men and women, who have kept hospitals and clinics open and running through their resilience, courage and professionalism.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026 [They] are now at even greater risk than before. They are themselves almost at break point.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey could lose their lives. More families will mourn. All because of our actions, and our failure to take responsibility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The President has attributed the rapid rise in infections to so-called super-spreader events, including like end-of-year functions, family and social gatherings, and music and cultural events.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a cause for great alarm, and points to an extreme lack of vigilance over the holiday period. We have let down our guard, and unfortunately, we are now paying the price.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not been wearing masks. We are not washing our hands or sanitising, and we are not keeping a safe distance from others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have continued to host and attend social gatherings and events that in many cases flout public health regulations,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n
He said venues are often poorly ventilated and their permitted capacity is being exceeded.<\/p>\n
Hand sanitisers are not being used, and masks are being worn to gain entry, only to be taken off once inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn these same social gatherings, the consumption of alcohol in restaurants, in nightclubs and taverns has contributed to risky behaviour like not wearing masks and not observing social distancing,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n
In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, the President announced that the country will be on an adjusted level 3 from level 1 with immediate effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless we act now and unless we act decisively, the number of new infections will far exceed what we experienced during the first wave and thousands more people will lose their lives,\u201d President Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n
SA urged to comply with COVID-19 health protocols<\/strong><\/p>\n The President reiterated his call for South Africans to adhere to COVID-19 health protocols such as wearing masks, washing or sanitising hands, and keeping a safe distance from others.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must remember that this virus is carried through the air, and that we must therefore avoid what has been described as the three Cs \u2013 closed spaces, crowded places and close contact with others.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we all rigorously adhere to basic precautions, we will see an immediate decline in infections and hospital admissions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He said this New Year\u2019s Eve will be different and several South Africans have suggested that its celebrations must be different.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have suggested that instead of parties; let us spend time with those closest to us. There have been a number of suggestions in social media that instead of fireworks, let us each light a candle.<\/p>\n \u201cLet us each light a candle in memory of those who have lost their lives, in tribute to those on the frontline who are working tirelessly to protect us from harm, in appreciation of the great sacrifices that have been made this past year, and in the confidence that the year ahead will bring health, peace and hope to our people,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n President Ramaphosa will light a candle in Cape Town at exactly midnight on New Year\u2019s Eve in memory of those who have lost their lives and in tribute to those who are on the frontline working to save lives.<\/p>\n \u201cI ask that you join me wherever you are in this very important symbolic gesture. Let us continue to work as one nation, united and determined,\u201d the President said. \u2013 SAnews.gov.za<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and the increase in trauma cases, South Africa\u2019s hospitals are almost full to capacity. \u201cOur hospitals, both private and public, are already close to full capacity in a number of provinces, and ICU beds are either full already or rapidly filling up,\u201d said President Cyril Ramaphosa. South Africa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[38678],"class_list":{"0":"post-176142","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-south-africa","7":"tag-sanews","8":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176142\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}