Health minister Zweli Mkhize said he was ‘cautiously optimistic’ at the absence of a ‘significant increase’ in deaths despite the surge in cases in recent weeks, but said it was too soon to reach ‘definite conclusions’.
Health authorities had investigated ‘whether the plateau that is observed in some provinces is due to reduced testing numbers or if indeed (fewer) people are becoming infected’.
‘Whilst we are cautiously optimistic, it is still too early for us to make definite conclusions regarding the observed decline. We need to continue to track all these indicators and ensure that our testing capacity reflects a realist picture of our epidemiological status. We will therefore only know for sure when there is a consistent decline over a period,’ he said.
Key indicators were that South Africa had ‘seen reduced hospital admissions and PUI’s (patients under investigation) presenting in health facilities’, had ‘not breached hospital capacity’, and ‘despite the surge … not seen a significant increase in deaths’.
Mkhize said ‘many of our field hospitals are not filled to capacity and we continue to monitor this as we manage the surge’.
The country had benefited from treatment developments elsewhere in the world.
‘Our indications are that there has already been an improvement in the survival rate from ICU where the mortality has been reduced demonstrably: one study shows ICU mortality has been reduced by about 25% since the introduction of dexamethasone on June 16. In another study undertaken by MRC, ICU survival rates showed dramatic improvement at 30-40% whereas the ICU mortality rate at the beginning of the pandemic was around 80%.’
On problems in healthcare, Mkhize said South Africa’s ‘challenges and glitches’ were ‘in no way unique to our country’.
Nevertheless he announced that he had appointed a team led by Professor Taole Mokoena together with other medical, nursing and legal professionals, to conduct an urgent investigation into claims of doctors and nurses becoming ill or dying after being exposed to infection because of the lack, or poor quality, of personal protective equipment, and deliver a report within 14 days beginning its work.
‘I want to assure members of the public that if individuals entrusted with positions of power in health facilities or even at district level are found to be in dereliction of duty by not ensuring adherence with health protocols, appropriate action will be taken against them.’
By 2 August, 24 104 health personnel had been infected, and 181 had died.
Ultimately, the key to ‘flattening the curve’ remained ‘good human behaviour’ and resistance to the temptation to become ‘complacent’.
‘Until we are completely safe, we will keep reviewing restrictions and, if necessary certain restrictions will still remain in place,’ he said.
Positive cases grew in South Africa yesterday by 8 559 to a cumulative total of 529 877 (with 377 266 recoveries). Deaths rose by 414 to 9 298.
The highest tally of cases is in Gauteng (185 282), followed by the Western Cape (98 031), KwaZulu-Natal (87 798), and the Eastern Cape (80 400).