Cape Town - The provincial government has rolled out its Covid-19 hot spot strategy, specifically targeted to the needs of each community, according to Premier Alan Winde.
Winde said the strategy aims to reduce community transmissions in the areas where the outbreak is most prevalent.
Each hot spot is overseen by an MEC and a head of department, regularly reporting back to the provincial Cabinet on plans and progress.
The province has recorded 14 837 active Covid-19 cases, 54 835 confirmed cases and 38 433 recoveries as of 1pm on Thursday. The number of deaths has increased to 1 565.
To date, the number of tests conducted stands at 279 347 with 4 371 confirmed cases of Covid-19 unallocated, of which 2 266 recoveries have been made.
Each report to provincial executive focuses on issues such as case management, quarantine and isolation, civil compliance, slowing the spread and humanitarian relief.
Community health-care workers will visit homes and backyard dwellers to screen and to refer the most vulnerable for testing. Screening is also being conducted in old-age homes.
The province has 41 quarantine and isolation facilities and as of June 22, 948 people were making use of these facilities.
“We are experiencing some hesitation from the public to take up quarantine and isolation when it is offered. The reasons for rejection vary, and include concerns about leaving family members and children, concern that their homes would be broken into and their building materials stripped or stolen, and even the inability to drink alcohol, smoke or have visitors while in the facilities,” said Winde.
“We are working closely with community organisations and religious leaders in areas where we are seeing high rejection rates of quarantine and isolation, in order to ensure that some of these community concerns can be addressed.”
On Wednesday, Winde accompanied community health-care workers in Langa as they delivered chronic medications to patients’ homes.
“In Langa, the Department of Health partners with local NPO St Johns to deliver this service,” he said.
To date, 1 295 medicine parcels have been delivered in Langa.
“Come rain or shine, these health-care workers go out on foot each day, delivering an average of about 20
medication parcels each day,” Winde said.
“I had the opportunity to accompany them as they delivered medicines to six homes. Most of the recipients were elderly and so this service helps to ensure that we are protecting our most vulnerable citizens by reducing their need to leave their homes.”
Between April 1 and June 11, more than 243 000 home deliveries of medication were carried out in the Cape Town metro.