A revised strategy to manage COVID-19 in the Cape Town metropole is being developed by the City of Cape Town and provincial health partners. The City’s most coronavirus-prone areas have been identified as well.
With the viral caseload in the city moving towards 13 000, the emphasis has shifted to a risk stratified case management approach, which includes identifying where the COVID-19 hotspots are, as well as individuals in those areas who are most susceptible to serious illness.
It is for this reason that testing will be prioritised for persons with known co-morbidities and those older than 55, as they are more likely to develop complications that require hospitalisation, as well as healthcare workers and persons admitted to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms to ensure that they can be managed appropriately.
“We have said before that most persons who contract COVID-19 will be able to self-isolate at home and recover without requiring any further medical intervention. The statistics of persons who have had to be hospitalised and who have succumbed to the virus indicate that underlying conditions or co-morbidities were present,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
“It is for this reason that we are focusing our attention on these vulnerable groups. We will also be looking to increase our education, awareness and enforcement efforts across the city, with particular emphasis in the identified hot spots.
“Hotspots are areas with established community transmission and a high density of cases. Recently, the caseload data has been made available by suburb, and so residents can get a first-hand idea of how prevalent the virus is, and where. However, it remains everyone’s responsibility to be extremely vigilant at all times, self-isolate immediately if you show symptoms and to follow the health and hygiene protocols that have been put in place to prevent the risk of contracting the virus.”
Six hotspot sub-districts have been identified in Cape Town, including:
– Tygerberg (Bellville/ Elsiesriver/ Goodwood)
– Khayelitsha
– Western (DuNoon)
– Klipfontein (Delft/ Delft South/ Gugulethu/Nyanga/Manenberg)
– Southern (ImizamoYethu/Philippi)
– Eastern (Mfuleni)
“We will be actively monitoring these areas, and deploying extra staff to points of congregation in these areas like public transport interchanges, supermarkets and clinics, both to conduct screening for COVID-19 and to refer vulnerable individuals for testing, but also to advance our education and awareness initiatives and emphasising the need for social distancing. I do also want to remind the public at large to not let their guard down. While these are the current hotspots, the situation could change and bring other suburbs into the fold. Every person needs to continue doing everything possible to mitigate the risk of infection, particularly as we move towards Level three of the lockdown phases and more people return to work. We can only defeat COVID-19 if everyone works together and does their bit,” added Councillor Badroodien.
The public is reminded to:
– Always wear a mask when outside
– Maintain a distance of at least 1.5m with other persons
– Stay home if you feel sick
– Cough/sneeze into the crook of your elbow or a tissue and discard the tissue immediately and properly
– Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds
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