Soaring KZN Covid-19 cases linked to riots, looting: study
The recent spike in Covid-19 cases in KwaZulu-Natal has been linked to the widespread looting last month.
Scientists at the Durban University of Technology have concluded the unrest was a super spreader.
The Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology has been monitoring and analysing water at the Central Waste Water Treatment Plant in eThekwini weekly.
Its director, Professor Faizal Bux says the plant covers around 61 suburbs in the metro, including those hit by the rioting.
Bux says before the looting, the average number of new coronavirus cases per day in a seven-day period was 1 366 for KZN and 449 for the eThekwini Municipality.
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He says clinical data from the end of July reported that daily infections had nearly doubled.
"We found that the Covid numbers before the unrest was around two million copies of the 100mls of wastewater. Post unrest, these numbers increased two approximately 12 million.
"Prior to the unrest itself the numbers had stabilised but post the unrest, about ten days post the unrest, we found the numbers had surged substantially. A six-fold increase is certainly a great concern."
