Eastern Cape report reveals frightening Covid-19 projection

PLEASE NOTE: The Eastern Cape coronavirus command council has, since the publication of this article, apologised for and corrected its earlier statement.

About 80% of the Eastern Cape population are likely to contract Covid-19.

This was the estimation made by the Eastern Cape department of health in a report presented to the Eastern Cape coronavirus command unit.

Of those infected, 80% are expected to present mild symptoms or be asymptomatic, while 15% might require hospitalisation and 5% are expected to be in need of high care.

About 1-3% may die from the virus, the report said.

As of June 1, the province has recorded 4,111 positive Covid-19 cases, 82 deaths and 2,123 recoveries.

Eastern Cape provincial command council chair and premier Oscar Mabuyane said the province  was saddened by the loss of lives, but continued to work together with social partners and the public to fight the virus.

“We welcome the report of the department of health, which details its operations for screening, testing, quarantine, isolation of people with the virus,” Mabuyane said.

He said the provincial government would continue to support the health department in providing all the required resources to fight the virus.

Twenty-nine people have died from Covid-19 in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro with 18 deaths recorded in the OR Tambo district, 14 in the Chris Hani district, 12 in Buffalo City, four in the Amathole district, four in Sarah Baartman and one in the Joe Gqabi district municipality.

Of those, 26,3% are aged between 30-39, 21,3% between 40-49, 15,5% between 50-59,15,4% in the 20-29 age group, 8,2% between 60-69, 5,2% between 10-19, 4,3% aged 70 and above, and 3,1% in the 0-9 age group.

According to the report, 191 public and private health-care workers — 71 of whom are from the Bay — have tested positive for the virus.

Of the rest, 63 are from Buffalo City, 28 from OR Tambo, 14 from Amathole, eight from Chris Hani, three from Sarah Baartman, two from Joe Gqabi and two from Alfred Nzo.

About 21,451 people in the province have been quarantined in their homes, with 599 quarantined at various facilities and 687 in isolation, the report states.

For the protection of health-care workers, the department had more than 18-million aprons, 15,229 biohazard bags, 32,945 boot covers, 786,260 goggles/face shields/visors, 42,469 gowns, 717,140 particulate respirators (grade N95), more than 1-million surgical masks, 34,761 coveralls, 557,724 surgical gloves, more than 1.7-million examination gloves, and 246,238 one-litre bottles of sanitiser, the report said.

Of this, Nelson Mandela Bay received 513,450 gloves, 12.9-million aprons, 2,700 bottles of disinfectant, 595 pairs of goggles, 15,508 gowns (different types), 20,752 sanitisers of various sizes, more than 1.03-million masks (different types), 478 overshoes, 24,530 thermometers and 85 visors.