​Lerato Mailoane
The Gauteng Provincial Command Council has warned the public of a possible third wave as the province continues to note a spike in COVID-19 infections.
Giving an update on the province's response to the pandemic in Ormonde on Friday, 07 May 2021 Advisory Council chair, Dr. Mary Kawonga said all Gauteng districts had seen an increase in cases in the past week.
"The province has recorded a worrying surge in the number of new cases, with infections almost double the average number from last week."
To date, more than 10 000 people have succumbed to the COVID-19 virus and 425 000 positive cases, Gauteng continues to be South Africa's COVID-19 epicentre.
Kawonga warned that Emfuleni was approaching a third wave threshold after consistently recording the highest daily cases, for the past three weeks.
Sedibeng has the highest risk among the five districts. The risk in Sedibeng continues to be above medium for weeks.
"This is a source of concern, while still small, the risk in Tshwane has started to increase," said Kawonga.
"We cannot let our guard down. Case numbers are higher than pre-2nd wave and can escalate very rapidly to a 3rd wave."
She said the biggest concerns are Emfuleni (in Sedibeng), Johannesburg region D and Tshwane 3. But we are closely monitoring the situation across all sub-districts.
"As long as some sub-districts are at medium-high risk, and others showing increasing risk, the whole province is at risk," she added. 
Kawonga called on people to adhere to health protocols by wearing masks, avoiding crowds, hand sanitizing and physical distancing at all times and all areas must remain vigilant as this is the best defence to reduce the force and impact of the predicted 3rd wave.