ANALYSIS: The country is not coping. I think the third wave could have been avoided.
The numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths in South Africa have increased exponentially over the past 12 months. At the beginning of July 2020 the country had 168,000 cases of COVID-19 and 2,844 deaths. A year later, at the start of July 2021, there were over two million confirmed cases and more than 61,000 deaths. These numbers are only a snapshot of the kind of pressure South Africa’s healthcare system is under.
By the time hospitals are overwhelmed by people who need admission, it is almost too late. Gauteng is the epicentre of the current surge. The province’s early warning system showed increasing numbers weeks ahead of the surge. Yet very little was done to contain those infections, or prevent a rapid increase.There’s a certain degree of COVID-19 fatigue. But many people still don’t understand why non-pharmaceutical interventions – social distancing, hand washing, wearing masks – are important.
One of the positive aspects was the “whole-of-government” approach and inter-governmental structures that were set up. These enabled different government departments and entities to work together, rather than in silos. I think the institutionalisation of public health measures is an amazing achievement. Wearing masks, handwashing and sanitising were adopted quite quickly. Compliance and enforcement, however, are still key issues.The first thing is to strengthen and stabilise leadership and management. If people are in acting positions they are less likely to take risks and make tough decisions. Given the speed with which the pandemic is growing, it’s important to have rapid decision-making.
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