The Western Cape has 17 019 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 63 816 confirmed cases and 44 938 recoveries as of 1pm on 1 July 2020.
The Western Cape has recorded an additional 35 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 1859. A data feed error was made on the Western Cape government’s dashboard citing 1854 deaths- however this is incorrect.
308 497 tests have been conducted, and 1742 people have been hospitalised with 309 in ICU or high care.
The provincial breakdown is as follows:
In a statement, Premier Alan Winde spoke about the Brackengate temporary hospital, which is expected to open its doors very soon.
“Today, I went on a site inspection of the Brackengate temporary hospital, which has officially been handed over from the Department of Transport and Public Works to the Department of Health.
“All construction is now complete, and the Department of Health team are busy installing beds, and ensuring that all the systems are functioning and in place to receive their first patients on 10 July.
“This 330 bed intermediate facility will provide medical care including oxygen, x-rays, and sonar for patients who are on the way to recovery but still need medical care. It also contains eight beds where high flow oxygen treatment can be administered. The design flow of the facility, its paperless systems and its waste management system are all designed to reduce the risk of infection on site.”
He explained that the temporary hospital has IT systems in place for patients to virtually contact their families, as visitors are not allowed.
“The IT system will also allow patients to video call their families and loved ones as visitors are not allowed. This will be the province’s third completed field hospital- after the Khayelitsha Thusong hospital and the CTICC Hospital of Hope.
“The facilities allow us to still provide care to those who need it, while opening up acute care beds in our hospitals. While the other two are not close to reaching capacity, opening up these sites allows us to also ensure that we are able to spread out the patient load, and ensure that the staff in any one facility do not become overwhelmed.
“Today [July 1] the Department of Health also launched its Bed Bureau- an online bed management tool which allows them to track how many beds are available in any of our facilities and ensure that we are able to effectively and efficiently manage admissions and patient transfers. I would like to extend my thanks to all of the people involved in bringing this project to fruition, who have worked long hours, with tight deadlines to ensure that we are able to provide hospital beds and care when they are needed.”
He concluded in thanking the selfless healthcare workers risking their lives everyday.
“I also want to send my thanks to the healthcare workers, from the doctors and the nurses to the technicians, pharmacists, porters, cooks and cleaners who will be working to make this hospital, and all of our other hospitals and healthcare facilities, beacons of hope and recovery. Your selflessness and your service to the people of this province must be applauded.”
Premiere Alan Winde will be going live with BushRadio on Thursday [July 2], allowing members of the public to engage with him. Listeners can tune in at 6pm and those without a radio can watch a live-stream through the Premiere’s Facebook page.
Image: Unsplash
