COVID-19 SECOND WAVE PEAK EXPECTED TO HIT WC THIS WEEK

Head of Health Dr Keith Cloete said officials had always worked towards 7 January, on Thursday, for the province's peak.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde (right) and provincial head of Health Dr Keith Cloete (centre) help officials wheel out a hospital bed as the CTICC's Hospital of Hope is officially decommissioned on 21 August 2020. Picture: Kaylynn Palm/EWN

Kaylynn Palm

Eyewitness News

CAPE TOWN - The Western Cape Department of Health on Monday said COVID-19 models confirm that the province was expected to hit the peak of the second wave in the next few days.

There are now 39,000 active cases of the coronavirus in the province.

There are now more than 3,200 people in hospital, just over 2,000 in the public sector and 1,200 in the private sector.

Head of Health Dr Keith Cloete said officials had always worked towards 7 January, on Thursday, for the province's peak.

In order to cope with admissions this week, health officials have added more hospital bed capacity.

“We have made sure that we bring our capacity in line, we do what have to do to be able to cope this week, which represents the peak.”

Cloete explains the accelerated part of moving towards the expected peak of the curve is when there's a rapid increase of new cases and new deaths.

He adds the province probably had that rapid acceleration phase about seven to 10 days ago.

“It’s extremely hard on health workers but the daily numbers have started decreasing.”