Health experts say Covid-19 pandemic not as bad as predicted in SA, but the worst is still to come

07 July 2020 - 12:13 By TimesLIVE
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Health officials have warned that it is far too early to declare victory against the coronavirus.
Health officials have warned that it is far too early to declare victory against the coronavirus.
Image: ALON SKUY

Many predicted that Covid-19 would be catastrophic for SA by now. However, public health officials and doctors are now saying their earlier models were too pessimistic, CNN reports.

SA was seen to be vulnerable to the pandemic because of its high number of HIV and tuberculosis cases, and its overburdened health system. 

"We have fewer patients than we predicted, and we have fewer hospital admissions than predicted. And up until now, we have had slightly fewer deaths than we predicted," said Prof Lee Wallis, head of emergency medicine for the Western Cape government.

While the peak in Cape Town is not as high as they had expected, he believes the surge could last longer than predicted by their earlier models - a situation that will strain both the health system and a population desperate to get back to some kind of normal.

Health officials have warned that it is far too early to declare victory against this disease.


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