The current number of Covid-19 cases in South Africa could be three to six times that of the numbers being officially recorded, as many people are recovering at home without having themselves tested when experiencing symptoms of the flu or respiratory infection.
This according to Dr Freek Bester, specialist physician involved in the care of, among others, patients with Covid-19 at the Life Rosepark Hospital in Bloemfontein.
“Even though there are patients with Covid-19 in hospitals, this number is noticeably less than was previously the case, due to many people having been vaccinated,” he says.
According to current test results, the positivity rate is at 25%. Yet Bester believes this could, in reality, be 75% or higher if everyone who felt ill were to have themselves tested for Covid-19.
– Marietjie Gericke
