[imagesource: Wits University]

South Africa is officially nearing the end of the third wave.

CSIR senior researcher Ridhwaan Suliman says that the country should exit the third wave this week if the current downward trend in new cases and hospitalisations continues.

Over the past week up to yesterday, South Africa saw a 35% decrease in cases and a 23% drop in hospitalisations.

The Western Cape provincial health department also released a set of stats this week, and they illustrate just how effective the COVID-19 vaccine has been at preventing deaths and serious infections.

News24 reports:

Of the 292 people aged 60 and older who died of Covid-19 during the peak of the third wave in the Western Cape, 98.3% were not fully vaccinated…

Most recent available statistics show that 57% of the age group in the province are fully vaccinated, defined as over 14 days after their second Pfizer injection or over 28 days after receiving the Johnson & Johnson jab.

Analyses for the week of 14 to 20 August – at the height of infections – further indicates that of the 2 455 people in this age group who contracted Covid-19, 93% were not fully vaccinated.

Of the 729 people who required hospitalisation during this period, 96% were not vaccinated.

Those numbers tell a very clear story.

The department stated that while the vaccine is not 100% effective, “results of the current vaccines in use indicate they are both safe and highly effective and offer excellent protection against severe disease and death”.

Not that the crowd that packed the Sea Point Promenade on Saturday are bothered by things like facts and statistics.

Heels have been dug in, and by the time the regret sets in it’s often too late to do anything about it.

Public health expert Prof Darelle van Greunen spoke with CapeTalk’s Refilwe Moloto this week about what they’re seeing in intensive care wards across the country.

Sure, you might recover, but the fact that you’re in the hospital in the first place was likely preventable and has a knock-on effect:

[He] argues that hospitals, especially in remote areas, don’t have the capacity to offer other healthcare services because of the unvaccinated people filling up hospital beds.

He says patients with chronic diseases, such as diabetes and TB are “starting to suffer as a result of this”.

…”The extent of the fourth wave will largely depend on how many people have been vaccinated before that hits us… the normal services cannot always continue within the healthcare facilities.

If you won’t listen to the healthcare workers, and the health experts, and those who have lost loved ones, who will you listen to?

Ah yes, that anonymous voicenote or that grainy screenshot on Facebook.

Here’s van Greunen’s full interview with Moloto:

[sources:news24&capetalk]