03 Jun 2021

Mahalapye District Health Management Team coordinator, Ms Thandie Kgosiesele says the sub-district is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases.

  Mahalapye Sub-district has registered 2 949 COVID-19 positive cases, 2 730 recoveries and 36 deaths by May 29, 2021.

Giving an update on the sub-district’s latest COVID-19 situation during the district’s emergency operation committee meeting, Ms Kgosiesele said there had been an increase of 253 COVID-19 positive cases in a space of two weeks from the previous report that she delivered before the committee on May 17.

“We are experiencing an increase in COVID-19 positive cases which poses a challenge because we have been busy with the vaccine rollout. Due to this increase in the number of positive cases as well as shortage of transport, contact tracing has also been suffering and it is still suffering,” she said.

She said there were 183 active cases and that 35 people were in facility isolation whilst 148 were in home isolation.

Giving a summary of the vaccine rollout in the sub-district, which commenced on May 12, the DHMT coordinator said Mahalapye received 6 480 doses and that 6 471 people were vaccinated.

Of the 6 471 people, she said 5 748 were members of the public, 600 healthcare workers, 86 non-citizens, 26 teachers, six magistrate officers and five Red Cross officers.

From the other nine doses, she explained that one accidentally broke, three were empty due to factory faults while the remaining five doses would be administered on healthcare workers. 

Those vaccinated with the Sinovac vaccine, she said, would be due for the second dose on June 12.Ms Kgosiesele expressed concern that some people were still not adhering to COVID-19 protocols despite efforts to educate the public about the importance of adhering to the protocols.

She, therefore, stressed that the COVID-19 vaccine was not a cure, hence the need to continue keeping social distance, washing hands with clean water and soap or hand sanitizer and wearing face masks. ends