DA Urges Govt To Share Detailed Info On Covid-19 Modelling

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on government to providemore when it comes to the models they are using to predict the spread and effect of COVID-19.

Interim party leader John Steenhuisen on Monday briefed the public on the party’s proposed plan for what it calls “smart lockdown”.

Government uses complex models to track the spread of the virus and to predict where and how quickly it will spread. These models are one of the key tools it uses when deciding on interventions to curb the spread of the virus.

Currently, the number of patients requiring intensive care for COVID-19 is relatively low, as is the nation’s death rate.

At first glance, the numbers look good with the curve appearing to flatten, but it’s a skewed perspective as the country is not yet testing randomly or at the scale required to give a more accurate reading of how the virus is spreading.

DA leader John Steenhuisen wants government to share detailed information on their COVID-19 modeling.

“In this game, knowledge is power. The more people have the knowledge of where we are at in combatting the virus and what still needs to be done, the more powerful it’s going to make the general response from society. We believe that government needs to be more transparent.”

Steenhuisen said that having more data available would make it easier for citizens to understand the need for interventions and help with them.

EWN