A variety of factors are on a collision course as provinces battle or move into the third wave of Covid-19.

Infection numbers are rising, vaccine stock-outs loom, trauma cases have climbed back up since all alcohol restrictions were removed, and mistrust in government has been worsened by the Digital Vibes scandal in which national health minister Zweli Mkhize is implicated in corruption.

The Western Cape department of health – one of the few provinces that holds a weekly conference that makes full updates accessible to the public and media – outlined factors on Thursday afternoon that are not unique to the province...