Cape Town - The Western Cape reached an unenviable milestone this weekend as more than 15 000 people in the province have died from complications, brought on by Covid-19 since March last year, when the first cases were reported.
As of 1pm on Sunday, 15 210 people have died due to Covid-19 complications.
Around 34 929 active cases of the virus, 406 988 confirmed cases, with 351 569 recoveries, have been reported to date.
The number of Covid-19 reinfections currently stands at 4 683.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), reported 2 447 454 laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases across the country, with 72 013 Covid-19 related fatalities to date.
At the weekend, the majority of new cases arose from the Western Cape (27%), followed by Gauteng (22%), and KwaZulu-Natal (18%).
Premier Alan Winde received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, at the Mitchells Plain Community Health Centre (CHC), on Saturday.
Winde said: “The last 16 months have been a time of great loss for many people – of both lives and livelihood. We now have an opportunity to bring it to an end, so that we can stop having to say goodbye to the people we love, so that we can stop having our ICUs stretched to capacity, and so that we can stop having lockdowns and restrictions that keep taking away our jobs,” said Winde.
2/4 I chose to get vaccinated because I know that the vaccine is safe and highly effective, offering excellent protection against serious illness and death. pic.twitter.com/5yQHGTGdnr
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) July 31, 2021
Winde chose to get vaccinated at that particular site, in a bid to encourage residents to register to get vaccinated. Winde said Mitchells Plain had a lower rate of vaccine registration than the rest of the province.
“I want to use this opportunity to encourage our residents to do proper research, from reliable sources, if they are unsure about getting vaccinated. Speak to a nurse at your local clinic or hospital and ask them to explain how it works.
“There is a lot of fake news on social media and being shared through WhatsApp, so I know it can be confusing. But please check trusted sources, so you can make an informed decision with accurate information,” he said.
4/4 We now have an opportunity to bring it to an end, so that we can stop having to say goodbye to the people we love so that we can stop having our ICUs stretched to capacity, and so that we can stop having lockdowns and restrictions that keep on taking away our jobs. pic.twitter.com/1iKsEEK9vg
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) July 31, 2021