The Western Cape Department of Health is decommissioning the Mitchells Plain Hospital of Hope. This comes as the province exits the fourth wave.

Premier Alan Winde has announced that the Western Cape has officially exited the fourth wave after case numbers dropped below 15% of the peak.

This has seen case numbers drop below 600 daily cases based on a seven-day moving average.

"We are seeing a continued decrease in new Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions and Covid-19 test positivity, showing us that we have exited the fourth wave. The South African Covid-19 Modelling Consortium (SACMC) prediction that we will see fewer cases for next week further supports this," he said.

New hospital admissions have decreased from 174 new admissions daily to 98 in a week.

The province is recording, on average, 18 deaths every day – a decrease from 31 daily deaths a week ago.

"While it is excellent news that we have exited the fourth wave, I remind residents to continue to practice the lifesaving behaviours that we have learnt to stop the spread throughout the pandemic so that we can prevent any spikes in infections," Winde said.

He added that the Mitchells Plain Hospital of Hope would be decommissioned due to "decreased demand on [the] healthcare platform".

"Should it be necessary, we will be able to bring additional infrastructure online to ensure that our healthcare system is fully capacitated and can ensure an agile response," he said.

There are currently no patients at the hospital.

"I strongly encourage those of you who are 50 years and older or who are adults with comorbidities to please ensure that your vaccines are up to date," said Winde.

“It’s not too late to receive your first, second or even your booster shot when it is your turn.

"We know that vaccines work and have played a significant role in helping to reduce the number of deaths and hospital admissions during the fourth wave – and well help to do so in subsequent waves.”