According to DA spokesperson, Isak Fritz, Medical Advisory Committee Member (MAC), Ian Sanne, is concerned that the Northern Cape has yet to come out of its second wave.

Fritz says that the latest reports puts the Northern Cape at the top of the list for excess deaths per 100 000 population.

Fritz says “this means that many people in the Northern Cape who are very likely infected with Covid-19 are dying without ever getting tested and without getting the medical care that they require. Given that we have not yet even entered into the third wave, which we know is dominated by the harsh delta variant. These concerns need to be addressed with urgency.”

Fritz explains that the Northern Cape comes in at the highest excess death rate with 573.

“This, in contrast to the second highest death rate being 544 in the Eastern Cape, as opposed to the lowest death rate in the Western Cape which stands at 277 excess deaths per 100 000 population,” says Fritz.

He adds that the province cannot simply look in the other direction without alarm bells ringing and various questions regarding health care and the unexpected increased death rate coming to mind.

“The question is why? Why are people in the Northern Cape not testing? Do they still not have access to testing? Why are people not getting medical treatment, do they still not have access to healthcare services in this province?” asks Fritz.

“We also need to break down the statistics and get an honest reflection of where the Northern Cape stands in the fight against Covid-19 in respect of testing, health care and vaccination. It’s high time that the provincial government gets a grip on this pandemic, before the third wave engulfs our vulnerable province,” adds Fritz.

He ends by saying that the DA submitted a written request to the chairperson of the Health Portfolio Committee, Sanna Tities, to convene a special meeting with the health department and provincial Coronavirus Command Council.

OFM News/Lee Simmons