In Episode 61 of Inside Covid-19, independent economic and political analyst, UCT professor Richard Calland, assesses how the SA government has handled the pandemic thus far; highlights from two powerful but sobering interviews exploring conditions on the Western Cape’s frontline, first with Dr Ross Hofmeyr from Groote Schuur who takes us into his exhausting world, and then neurosurgeon Prof Ian Vlok of Tygerberg Hospital who explains why the liquor ban is cheered by health workers – but increased capacity in taxis, not so much. – Alec Hogg
In today’s Covid-19 headlines:
- South Africa’s coronavirus infections and mortalities continue to grow strongly with Gauteng taking over from the Western Cape as the new hotspot. Half of the 174 deaths reported nationally on Tuesday were in Gauteng. This was the second highest day of mortalities and pushed total South African deaths to the coronavirus to 4,350. Although there are also a significant number of recoveries, the country’s net active cases continue to grow by over 2,000 daily, with South Africa’s active infections of 147,667 the fifth highest in the world. Around half the country’s active cases are in Gauteng which is now treating four times as many patients as the Western Cape’s 18,500. Globally, there are more than 5 million active cases, over a third of which are in the US with Brazil at around 20% of the world’s total. On Tuesday, Brazil’s daily mortalities were a quarter of the global total of 5,414, with the US next at 935 followed by India at 588 and Mexico’s 485. South Africa is bracketed with the group of Iran, Russia, Peru and Colombia, all of which recorded deaths in the 170s on Tuesday.
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