Update on the third wave

The new COVID-19 infections in Gauteng are twice the level that they were for the first and second waves in this province. The steep gradient for the third wave appears to coincide with the spread of the Delta variant in Gauteng. While we can hope that this variant does not spread to the other provinces, it is probably a vain hope.


New COVID-19 admissions in Gauteng have reached the level recorded at the peak of the second wave. This could have more to do with hospital bed capacity constraining the numbers than evidence that the treatment is more effective with the third wave.


The reported COVID-19 deaths in Gauteng appear to have peaked at a level lower than that recorded in the second wave which is encouraging. We must continue to monitor this metric as the pattern may be a result in reporting delays.


1 July 2021

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