Cape Town - The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has called on the country to prepare for a third wave of Covid-19 with experts closely watching infection rates around the Easter weekend.
SAMRC President Professor Glenda Gray said this period could see the emergence of the third wave.
“In terms of the third wave, yes I think we are all worried about the third wave particularly after the April weekend, the Easter holidays as we go into winter and as we spend more time indoors, the third wave is imminent,” said Gray.
She said excess deaths must be looked out for after an increase in weekly mortality rates in the burden of disease.
In relation to the Johnson & Johnson label study, Grey said they wanted to vaccinate 500 000 healthcare workers.
“As the rollout begins we will work closely with the Department of Health to transition the sites to the rollout vaccine, it will be either Johnson & Johnson or Pfizer. As far as I understand… the Johnson & Johnson agreements have been signed. There is a schedule of vaccines that are available and... we can ask the department of health to indicate when these vaccines will come,” said Gray.
She said there was currently a shortage of vaccines globally but it would start coming in in July once the manufacturers ramped up production.
Gray also said the ban on the sale of alcohol had been an important factor in the fight against Covid-19.
This was due to the low number of car crashes on the road, low admissions in emergency units in hospitals and low violent cases. She said the government should consider regulating alcohol sales in the future.
She said the government could also consider increasing the age limit to drink alcohol from 18 to 21 years.
The Western Cape meanwhile received another 12 760 vaccines as part of its third tranche allocation of 18 080 vaccines, bringing the total number of vaccines received to date in the Sisonke implementation study to 44 040.
Premier Alan Winde said an additional site at Caledon Hospital has also come online to expand the number of rural vaccination sites.
“The Sisonke vaccines are being administered in four tranches over an eight-week period, with new batches of vaccines arriving weekly.
“While vaccinations are an important part of our response to Covid-19, until we have widespread coverage, the most effective tool we have to prevent infection is our own behaviour.
“This is especially important over the next few weeks, as many people observe religious holidays and schools break up in April. Should you be planning gatherings during this time, protect yourself and your loved ones by ensuring that these are held outside or in well-ventilated spaces, and that you avoid close contact and crowding,” he said.
Further amendments to the City’s Covid-19 fatality management regulations have also been made.
The regulations were gazetted on Friday, and include that coffins should not be wrapped in any type of plastic; undertakers must deliver the mortal remains on the day of burial and ensure that the remains are not touched; and funeral attendance limited to 50 people, including undertaker personnel.
The City said its cemeteries and Maitland crematorium have so far managed to handle the increased demand for burials.
The full document of amendments is available at https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre%20Assets/-785042600.pdf