Coronavirus ‘hot spot’ focus on Joburg, Cape Town, Durban
Coronavirus experts in South Africa have identified Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban as the three biggest problem areas for the spread of the virus.
Industry experts joined Health Minister Zweli Mkhize in Durban on Monday to engage on the country’s Covid-19 response.
Prominent epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim said densely populated regions are at high risk of local transmission.
“If community transmission is low, cases decline. If community transmission is increasing, then cases will increase.”
“Community transmission is the central feature for what we are trying to control.”
The pandemic has hit SA in three waves - the first wave is of travelers who came back from abroad. The second wave is those who have come into contact with these travelers and the last wave is general community transmissions. #Covid19inSA #LockdownSA pic.twitter.com/KV4NawXDpI
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) April 13, 2020
Karim added that these three major cities have already recorded high numbers of infections.
“Our three big concerns are in the three high density hubs where we have a lot of infections and the potential for the spread is high.
“If we start seeing community transmissions at a significant level, those three hubs are going to be the most likely places where it is going to start.”
But Karim admits that the outbreak in SA has not progressed as expected.
“The community transmission is there but it’s not spreading like the wildfire that we expected,” he added.
Karim says the lockdown's key purpose has been to ensure that the spread of coronavirus is suppressed at community level.
DA: Govt needs to lift lockdown restrictions in stages
"Managing Covid-19 will require a marathon, not a sprint. Realistically, South Africa may have to contain the coronavirus right up until a vaccine is widely available in 18-24 months' time. We must hope for a shorter period but plan pragmatically for a long one. "South Africa cannot simply go back to a business as usual approach.