LISTEN: ‘Covid-19 spike is due to unrest’

South Africa recorded an increase in the number of daily new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 related deaths.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported 17 351 new Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours, some 10 000 more than the previous day.

Madhi says the amount of testing had declined in both provinces.

He warns that KZN is yet to see another increase in infections.

“In Gauteng, as a province, there is sustained decreases. We are very much over the first wave, also when it comes to hospitalisation and death we lack by about two weeks compared to infections that are taking place in communities those numbers have also started to come down.

“But in other provinces, it’s a different situation because the implementation of level 4 restrictions would have impacted the natural trajectory of the epidemic.

“KZN is further compounded because of what happened in the past two weeks of the civil unrest with large numbers of people gathering with minimal social distancing or wearing of a mask so those sort of activities, unfortunately, it's going to land them in a rebound, we can expect even a larger rebound of infections in KZN,” said Madhi.

Listen to Professor Shabir Madhi below: 

Madhi warns that a fourth wave is a distinct wave.

“There is a greater possibility of another fourth wave and a fifth wave, it is very likely we will experience another resurgence but is difficult to predict when but other factors depend on human behaviour and how quickly people can get vaccines, we can say around December but it is determined by a number of factors beyond our control.”

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