Covid-19: Over 1 000 New Cases Reported at Gauteng Schools in Last Week
- Over 1 000 new infections have been reported in learners at schools in Gauteng prompting the Department of Education to say that school closures would only follow on advice from the Department of Health
- South Africa is reporting an average of 3 500 new covid-19 infections every day as the country battles with a third wave of the virus
- Schools with positive cases are closing for three days and the rise of infections is very concerning
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed!
Gauteng Education Department has reported a startling statistic, over 1 000 learners have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last week.
The provincial health department will issue advice to schools on whether they should close in the face of the spike in infections.
Source: Facebook
An average of 3 500 new infections is being reported each day in the province according to the SABC.
Gauteng Education Spokesperson Steve Mabona revealed that they are watching the situation closely and that currently schools are being closed for three days. He did say that the numbers of new infections are concerning.
PAY ATTENTION: Never miss breaking news – join Briefly News' Telegram channel
Jump in infections
In the last 24 hours, South Africa has documented 8 881 new Covid-19 cases, the greatest number of new daily infections since 23 January, when more than 12 000 were recorded.
According to data supplied by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Gauteng is the epicentre of new infections, accounting for 58% of cases reported in the previous day.
“The increased number of tests and cases, and increased positivity, are all evidence of the predicted third surge in Covid-19 cases," said the NICD, according to TimesLIVE.
Hospitals under pressure
In the last 24 hours, there were 1 150 hospital admissions, according to the institution. There were 135 additional in-hospital deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Diepkloof, Soweto, and Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria has seen a 50% increase in admissions.
School vaccine programme
As per a report by IOL, teachers, cleaners and other support personnel at public schools may be vaccinated against Covid-19 this month, according to teachers' organisations.
According to Basil Manuel, executive director of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa, at least 500 000 Johnson & Johnson doses have been obtained for the education sector. The vaccine is still awaiting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Source: Briefly News
