• Several Western Cape districts have surpassed the numbers recorded during the second wave of Covid-19.
• The province remains at the peak of the third wave, with cases continuing to spike.
• The health department is urging people over 50 to urgently get vaccinated.

Several areas in the Western Cape have surpassed the numbers experienced at the peak of the second wave.
As the province waits to crest the third wave, cases have, over the last few weeks, continued to increase.
The Western Cape’s health department head, Dr Keith Cloete, said while cases appeared to be flattening, the province was not yet past the peak of the third wave.
As of Wednesday, the province had 44 506 active cases. This was 5 228 more active cases (13%) in the last week.
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“Case numbers continue to increase, but at a slower rate,” said Cloete during the weekly Covid-19 digital briefing on Thursday, adding:
We are currently seeing an average of 3 100 new diagnoses each day. Admissions and deaths have remained at the same level, with around 335 new admissions and around 108 deaths each day.
As of Wednesday, there were 3 665 Covid-19 patients in acute hospitals.
The daily oxygen use matches the capacity of that manufactured in the province, with around 22 tons being brought into the Western Cape via tankers.
The increasing cases have, however, pushed some districts beyond the numbers recorded at the peak of the second wave.
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Health officials had initially hoped the third wave would see fewer infections than in the second wave, but the spread of the Delta variant and a significant swell in numbers have made this less likely. The province now has around the same figures as experienced earlier this year in the second wave.
The Metro, Klipfontein, Mitchells Plain, Northern and Tygerberg districts have surpassed the numbers of the second wave, said Cloete.
The Garden Route, West Coast and Central Karoo have also surpassed the numbers recorded during the peak of the second wave.
Modelling, which initially suggested the province would peak by the middle of August, shows there may be a slight increase in cases over the next week.
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However, initial data shows a dip in the reproduction rate, Cloete added. This number reflects how many people are being infected for every positive Covid-19 case.
When this drops below 1:1, it usually signals that the peak has been reached. As on Wednesday, it stood at 1:0.9.
However, this could be artificially low due to a delay in testing caused by the long weekend, Cloete said.
Protective
While the province remains in the peak of the third wave, Cloete has urged residents to avoid social gatherings and adhere to protective behaviours.
The department has also called on anyone older than 50 to register for a vaccine and to visit a vaccination site, adding that vaccines are safe and effective in fighting Covid-19.
This age group is a particular focus of the health department; statistics have shown that older age groups are more likely to contract severe infections and have a higher chance of being hospitalised or dying of Covid-19 complications.
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