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Cape Town \u2013 The Western Cape Health and Wellness Department says that the province is on a good trajectory, with a severe drop in Covid-19 cases and other key indicators.<\/p>\n
The Standing Committee on Health was briefed by the department on the status of Covid-19 and the vaccine rollout in the province on Friday.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the excess mortality from the Covid-19 pandemic, from January 1, 2020, to January 31 this year, stood at 14.9 million.<\/p>\n
Western Cape Health and Wellness Department director of health intelligence, Dr Melvin Moodley, said: \u201cSo about 15 million people are estimated to have died from Covid-19 worldwide. That is close to the estimates that you read of people who died from World War 1.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to a modelling study conducted by the Imperial College of London, in the first year of the Covid-19 vaccination programme, 19.8 million lives were estimated to have been saved.<\/p>\n
The first wave lasted 106 days, the second 92 days, the third 120 days, and fourth 64 days. The department has seen a 9% drop in hospital admissions, with one Covid-19 death a day.<\/p>\n
The department is studying a change in variant, with eight pieces slightly different from others. \u201cWe are not overly concerned. We think it\u2019ll be very similar to Omicron;our protection from vaccination and previous infection will remain,\u201d Moodley said.<\/p>\n
The department reported four unlinked cases of measles in the Western Cape.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are not linked so it\u2019s not an outbreak but we are very worried, in the country and in the entire world because of Covid-19 decreased vaccination rates \u2026 so the potential for measles outbreaks is very high. We get very concerned because it has a huge impact on children and even adults when we have measles outbreaks,\u201d Moodley said.<\/p>\n
Committee chairperson Wendy Kaiser Philander said the Covid-19 ad hoc committee had been dissolved and all portfolios would ask the Department of Health and Wellness for updates on the status of Covid-19 in the province.<\/p>\n