How we can stay ahead of the COVID-19 third wave

By Kaya 959 News

Experts have predicted that South Africa could see a spike in COVID-19 cases in the days after the Easter weekend, heralding the start of the third wave.

They believe that this could be due to interprovincial travel as people head back home or on holiday for the long weekend.

President Cyril Ramaphosa in his weekly newsletter, urged South Africans to take precautions.

“We are now at a time where precaution is needed above all. The coronavirus pandemic has not been eliminated, either in our own country or around the world. The threat of a third wave is real and ever-present. International experience has taught us that we should not tempt fate,” Ramaphosa said.

South Africa remains on Alert Level 1 after President’s Easter ‘Family Meeting’

Wits Vaccinology director at the South African Medical Research Council Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, Professor Shabir Madhi, said the third wave would come down to controlling COVID and human behaviour.

Madhi said the virus is completely unpredictable so controlling it is difficult.

“We have complete control over our own behaviour. It is simple, the more people infected the more chances for the virus to mutate as a response to our antibodies which increases the chance for more variants and a third wave. Most infections are caused by gatherings and flouted preventative measures which is a fear of the April holidays,” he said

According to the Foundation of Professional Development’s Daniel Du Bruyn, there are ways to stay ahead of the peak.

“This Easter, COVID-19 regulations are at the most relaxed they have been since we started our joint fight to reduce the number of infections. We may gather. We may worship. We may travel. We may see our loved ones. But we should do these things responsibly, knowing that the more each individual does their part, the lower the infection rate remains in the country,” he said.

“We are assisting the Department of Health to get this message to all South Africans, to make sure that we can all celebrate safely. We urge everybody to help the country stay ahead of a possible third wave of infections by continuing to follow the simple rules we all know,” Du Bruyn added.

Let’s continue to follow these simple rules:

Wear your mask at all times to stop the spread of COVID-19
Your mask should cover your nose, mouth and chin
When you take off a mask, wash your cloth mask or throw away your disposable mask in the bin
Children under the age of 5 do not need to wear a mask
Children over the age of 5 should wear masks at all times
Keep your distance from other people
Ensure there is a good flow of fresh air around you at all times
Keep windows open, especially on public transport
Avoid closed spaces
Avoid crowded places
Keep your hands clean
Use soap and water or sanitiser whenever you can
Don’t share food, drinks and utensils
Don’t go out if you have any of these symptoms: Cough, sore throat, high temperature, headache, shortness of breath, muscle pain, blocked nose, vomiting, nausea, tiredness, loss of taste and smell or diarrhoea
Keep on following these rules and together we can have a refreshing and relaxing break.

According to the latest from the National Department of Health, SA has more than 1.5 million positive COVID-19 cases. The country’s death toll stands at over 52 000. Thus far, 269 102 vaccines have been administered.

Image Credit: Pexels

Written by: Anthea

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