Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said on Friday that the Covid-19 situation in the country remains of great concern as the new Delta variant dominates the third wave of infections in the country.

South Africa recorded 21 584 new confirmed Covid-19 infections and 382 deaths, bringing the official death toll to 61 029 on Thursday. Gauteng continues to be the epicentre of new infections, representing 60% of national infections.

The Delta variant, first sampled in India in 2020, has spread to 85 countries and Kubayi-Ngubane says there is evidence that it is more transmissible than other variants.

While the Delta variant is quickly becoming the dominant variant in the country, the Alpha and Beta variants are still prevalent and spreading.

“Another important characteristic of the Delta variant is the fact that those who were previously infected [with the] Beta variant were immune from reinfection by both the Alpha and Beta variant, [but that this] it is not the case with the Delta variant. This means that those who have had Covid-19 are also at a risk of reinfection by the Delta variant,” Kubayi-Ngubane warned.

She added that the Western Cape and Eastern Cape will soon see the trends that are unfolding in Gauteng.

A rise in hospitalisations is straining health facilities in the province, and private health hospitals are currently operating at more 100% capacity while public health hospitals are edging closer to full capacity.

VACCINE ROLL-OUT

The Department of Health is finalising details for the commencement of vaccination of other frontline sectors such as the policing, media, defence and security. More details regarding timelines will soon be provided.

The department has so far vaccinated just over 300 000 educators and over 120 000 people were vaccinated in the last 24 hours.

Registrations are open for persons aged 50 and above. So far 354 504 people are recorded in the system. This group will start vaccinating on July 15.

Meanwhile, Pfizer has delivered nearly 4.5-million vaccine doses as promised in the second quarter, and the country is expecting nearly 2.1-million doses in July.

Johnson and Johnson have, so far, delivered 500 000 early access doses used for Sisonke, 300 000 market doses two weeks ago and 1.2-million doses landed last week, which must be used by August 11.

The department is awaiting confirmation for the delivery of 500 000 more doses, which will expire later than the previous doses received. This then makes up the 2-miilion to replace those that were lost to the contamination incident.

“Again, let me appeal to all South Africans to work with us in the fight against the pandemic and thank all those who have been complying with the regulations that are aimed at containing the spread of the virus,” Kubayi-Ngubane said.