02 Jun 2022

After constantly registering low cases over the past months, the Jwaneng District Health Management Team (DHMT) has recorded a sharp increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases starting mid-May.

Statistics from the DHMT indicates that by May 28, the area had a total number of 103 positive cases. 

Since the beginning of March, the district had been registering mostly zero cases per day, with  two cases being the maximum recorded.

However, the numbers started rising sharply on May 16 when seven cases were registered in a single day, resulting in 10 positive cases in total.

Within three days, the cases had more than doubled to 22, of which 21 were from Jwaneng while one was from Sese. 

Statistics further indicates on May 20, the cases had risen to 29, with 27 of them home isolated while two were isolated at two different isolation facilities.

 That brought the cumulative figure for the area to 9 993 since testing was done.

The number of deaths still remained at 55, with the last death having occurred on March 29.

To shed light on the likely reasons for the increase, principal nursing officer, who is also the acting DHMT head for the area, Ms Goitsemang Mothibi indicated in an interview that the increase may be a result of the fact that winter season, which normally comes with flu-like ailments was upon us.

She also indicated that due to the fact that the COVID-19 had been abating for months countrywide, people may have become negligent, giving the pandemic a chance to creep back in.

“We have conducted some surveillances in our area of coverage and what we have noted is that people are no longer as strict as previous as far as COVID-19 protocols are concerned. They do not enforce them fully, especially at businesses and offices to the extent that some shops do not even offer customers sanitisers at the entrance,” she said.

Ms Mothibi indicated however, that they were happy with schools as they were still fully enforcing protocol such as hand sanitising, social distancing and wearing of masks.She therefore appealed to the members of the public to strictly respect protocols as it was the case during the peak of the pandemic.

“It is time we go back to being strict as we were when the pandemic was still at its peak, that is the only way we can contain it,” she said. 

She also indicated that they had started to make public appeals, such as sharing messages on Facebook pages and using the public address system to spread the message on compliance and proper self-care.

“We appeal to members of the public to take heed of such messages because we really don’t want to get back into the situation we faced last year,” she said. ENDS