VKLM FIRE
The portal for public information to residents within the Victor Khanye Municipal area on safety
Legal stuff:
- This Website and all of its sub-pages are an independent run website with the pure intention of providing the community residing within the Victor Khanye Local Municipality vital information related to fire and life safety as well as preparation for adverse conditions that may impact all during a disaster or threatening disaster. In NO CIRCUMSTANCES is this page to be considered as an official page of the Victor Khanye Local Municipailty or representing this organization. To stop any allegations it is hereby registered that this site will remain independant and are 100% funded by the owner thereof.
- The Victor Khanye Local Municipal website can be visited at www.vklm.gov.za.
- All weather related data is received or extracted with gratitude from the South African Weather Services (www.weathersa.co.za) with the exception of the UV Index which is obtained from Accuweather (www.accuweather.com). It may occur that the SAWS site is unavailable at the time of refreshing this page, on which instance the data from Ventusky (www.ventusky.com) are used for graphical representation and with comparison to the meteoblue or ECMWF data from the "Windy" website (www.windy.com) to provide the given data.
- Warnings are issued by the South African Weather Services (SAWS) ONLY in the form of emails or message systems and those relevant to the Victor Khanye Municipal area is published under the "Weather Warnings" box on the main page for information and early warning purposes to the community.
- Newsletters and most of the information related to snakes and snake safety are obtained from the African Snakebite Institute (ASI) (www.africansnakebiteinstitute.com) with gratitude to their continued research and inputs.
By notice from the Webmaster
With the FDI being Yellow, the FDI score is 58 for today, above the threshold of 45. Firebreaks / controlled burning is not recommended for today, a contributing factor is the high winds and gusts expected throughout the day.
No burn permits will be issued for the next few days.
COVID-19
2019 Corona-virus global pandemic
Infection statistics as reported at 18:00, 12 July 2020 for South Africa
To get relevant information on the status and newest information including Approved media releases, please visit the following website:
What is COVID-19?
Human Coronaviruses are common throughout the world. There are many different coronaviruses identified in animals but only a small number of these can cause disease in humans.
On 7 January 2020, ‘Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2’ (SARS-CoV-2) was confirmed as the causative agent of ‘Coronavirus Disease 2019’ or COVID-19. The majority of the case-patients initially identified were dealers and vendors at a seafood, poultry and live wildlife market in Wuhan, China. Since then, the virus has spread to more than 100 countries, including South Africa.
Who is most at risk?
Initially, travellers to areas where there is ongoing sustained transmission of COVID-19 including Mainland China (all provinces), Hong Kong, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, Italy and the Islamic Republic of Iran are at greatest risk of infection.
Furthermore, the elderly, individuals with comorbidities and healthcare workers have been found to be at a higher risk of death.
With more known and the infection spread, the people most at risk are those with close contact with an infected person. This includes health care providers, emergency care providers and frontline staff directly in contact with public where protection is not in place. It was determined that the age groups 40 to 69 are the highest risk group with people between the ages 60 and 69 being at the top. And it can be also noted that people with a comorbidity* have a much higher risk of contracting the virus with serious to deadly consequences
*(overlapping illness or having multiple medical conditions at teh same tie, especially when they interact with each other in some or other way)
How is it transmitted?
The virus is spreading from person-to-person. The spread of the disease have been identified as mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread. Thus far, the majority of cases have occurred in people with close physical contact to cases and healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19.
How is COVID-19 treated?
Treatment is supportive (providing oxygen for patients with shortness of breath or treating a fever, for example). To date, there is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine available. Antibiotics do not treat viral infections. However, antibiotics may be required if a bacterial secondary infection develops.
What we are being done in South Africa?
South Africa is curerently in Lockdown to flatten the curve of infections. There was an initial hard lockdown and then a phases easing of the lockdown through arert levels to open up the economy and still attempting to keep the infection rates low. However, with the easing of the lockdown, there is an increase in cases and deathtolls observed, this is also contributed by a general disobedience from the public in terms of implementing restrictive measures such as social distancing and not traveling. (basically "when you move, the virus moves".
A large campaign of screening have been initiated. Suspected cases (people displaying symptoms or having a fever) are refered to health care faciities to be tested and recommended to go into self-isolation until test results come back.
Positive cases will be managed dependant on their severity by means of monitored self-isolation and contact tracing or hospitilasation on severe cases. Those who cannot self-isolate can be refered to designated faciities estalished for isolation.
Protocols are in place for follow up on case contacts to ensure that the virus does not spread further.
SYMPTOMS
Incubation period is between 2 to 14 days, but there are cases of up to 27 days.
The most common symptoms start with a loss of taste and/or smell, then a fever, followed by a dry cough with tiredness
Less common symptoms that could be presented after infection is aches and pains, sore throat, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis and headaches.
In more severe cases shortness of breath or difficiculty breathing may also present, with about 10% of serious patients requiring hospital treatment
Notably, the COVID-19 infection rarely seems to cause a runny nose, sneezing, with some cases reporting a sore throat after the cough started (observed in about 5% of patients).
Sore throat, sneezing and stuffy nose are most often signs of a cold.
DON’T PANIC
There is no need to panic –
98% of COVID-19 cases are mild:
patients only experience a slight fever, fatigue and a cough.
Only about 2% of patients need intensive care.
The vast majority of people can stay at home and get better without hospital treatment.
The Global percentage of recovery rates are 90% with only a 10% of serious cases where patients have lost their lives.
The highest mortality rate are with people on the age range 40 to 79 (on South African statistics) with the age range 60 - 69 as the most dangerous ages.
And in almost all these cases the patient also had a comorbidity (meaning another overlaping illness such as Asthma, COPD, TB, Diabetes, Colds and Flu, Bronchitis, to mention a few)
PREVENTATIVE TIPS
– Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
– Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with
unwashed hands.
– Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Practice Social Distancing of at least 1,5m from
others
- Wear face protection such as a cloth mask or
scarf covering the nose and mouth when in public
areas, in vehicles with public or areas where social
distancing cannot be achieved.
– Cover your cough or sneeze with a flexed elbow or a
tissue, then throw the tissue in the bin.
– Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and
surfaces.
- Older people (65+) need to take extra care and where
possible avoid unnecessary traveling
Global Statistics
as at 12 July 2020 - 23:48 CAT
Coronavirus cases:
13 009 805
Deathtoll:
570 679
Ratio deaths per total cases recorded: (4,39%)
Patients recovered from virus:
7 568 000
(58,17%)
Current active cases:
4 871 126
Breakdown of current infections:
Mild condition: 4 812 277 (98,79%)
Serious or Critical: 58 849 (1,21%)
Closed Cases:
8 138 679
Cases which had an outcome:
Recovered / Discharged:
7 568 000 (92,99%)
Deaths: 570 679
Ratio deaths to closed cases (7,01%)
Note: The information here are as at the times given or on publication.
Below are some information on COVID-19
Urgent matters to be raised
It was brought to our attention that there are people on social media groups that are circulating false information and rumours for the intention of creating undue panic.
Based on the COVID-19 Disaster Management Joint Operations Centre, the following are noted for urgent attention.
It is a criminal offence to create, distribute or share/forward false information or rumors for any reason whatsoever and is punishable by a prison sentence upon conviction.
Furthermore, administrators of social media platforms that allow or promote such spreading of flase information can also be held liable and accountable in their person.
Based on the spreading of false and unverified information for the purposes of sensation and/or insighting fear or panic, all known cases will be registered at the South African Police Services and investigated and prosecuted under the Criminal Law.
Institutions that are affected by such rumors or false information will also open cases against purpetrators and social media platform administrators under the POPI Act, amongst others.
ONLY THE NICD OR THE MINISTER OF HEALTH MAY RELEASE OFFICIAL VERIFIED CASE STATISTICS. ANY INFORMATION NOT FROM THEM ARE UNVERIFIED AND NOT A TRUE REFLECTION OF INFORMATION
An urgent plea is made to abstain from such practices as to refrain from spreading undue panic
2 154 391
276 242
134 874
4 079
12 058
NATIONAL LOCKDOWN FOR SOUTH AFRICA
CURRENTLY ON ALERT LEVEL 3
