Friday | May 28, 2021

Apprehension lingers in the air as South Africa grapples with an increase in Covid-19 infections and deaths in the country.

In the past 24-hour reporting cycle, a total of 4, 575 cases and 123 Covid-19 related deaths were confirmed by the national Department of Health.

There is a high possibility for the government to increase restriction levels in the country in the wake of the surge in corona virus cases.

The new resurgence comes on the back of a devastating blow in India where millions of people were and are still infected and thousands of lives are being lost each day. The Indian variant has hit SA borders such that the 3rd wave may be the culmination of the Asian country’s woes.

As the numbers keep rising down south, the government is trying its utmost to speed up vaccination rollout. So far it has been a dismal failure as reported on by CNN, an international media powerhouse.

This is a mix of misfortunes confronting one of the most developed country in Africa. Without a doubt, new restrictions in the offing will not sit well with the youngest population of the Republic for most of the people were getting comfortable with their lives. According to them, life was evidently close to returning to normal again.

But Covid-19 is back with venous force to terrorise the populace out of their re-awakening comfort zones. The first wave of the pandemic caught the majority by surprise but the devastating second wave was anticipated. It is obvious that the virus can only be subdued after many rounds of hygienic and pharmaceutical trials.

For now, the government has to do what it has to do to protect the vulnerable and delay the worst. For its part, it is given that vaccination must be ramped up quite speedily. This is doable if it works with the private sector and other significant stakeholders who can lend a hand to improve efficiency of this inoculation drive. 

Until then, the threat Covid-19 will forever live among the people. And it is left upon themselves to do the most. As the authorities in the South Africa health space said, the virus does not move, it is the people who carry it to different areas.