A statement by the Eastern Cape Health Department confirmed that the COVID-19 cases in the Motherwell NU2 clinic in Gqeberha are not linked to the new sub-variant XBB 1.5.
According to the department four cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the clinic – these include three staff members and one patient. The department says all new cases have been referred to the outreach team for contact tracing and testing.
The department says that the public must still remain vigilant and take all necessary steps to prevent COVID-19 infections. Infections will still continue to be monitored throughout the province and the public are encouraged by the department to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Provincial Health Department spokesperson Yonela Dekeda says the new cases are not linked to the new variant, “These cases are not linked to the newly discovered XBB 1.5 variant. The department is calling on the public to remain vigilant and to take all necessary non-pharmaceutical steps to prevent COVID-19 infections.
COVID-19 remains an infection we need to be aware of, even though the number of infections and deaths is slow. The department still continues to implement it’s vaccination rollout programme in health facilities”, said Dekeda.
