As we reach the end of another week under adjusted level 3 lockdown, COVID-19 in South Africa came into even sharper focus after the passing of Minister in the Presidency, Jackson Mthembu as a result of the coronavirus. Mthembu was one of the more visible ministers throughout the pandemic, and leaves a void as far as government’s ability to communicate effectively to the public.
While we await to hear who will take up his role, there is still the matter of the latest figures to contend with. To that end the one that stands out the most is 647 new deaths being recorded over the past 24 hours, according to the National Department of Health (NDoH). This pushes the total number of deaths related to the virus in the country to 39 501.
Looking at the other statistics, 11 381 new cases have been recorded over the past 24 hours too, as the total to date rises to 1 380 807. Added to this 1 183 443 recoveries have also been reported, with the recovery rate now increasing to 85.7 percent and serving as the only real positive among the numbers at the moment.
The full breakdown of COVID-19 in South Africa is as follows:
Provinces | Confirmed Cases | Recoveries | Active cases | Deaths |
Western Cape | 261 939 | 222 384 | 39 555 | 9 591 |
Eastern Cape | 188 891 | 174 600 | 14 291 | 9 855 |
Northern Cape | 30 386 | 25 482 | 2 859 | 527 |
Free State | 72 230 | 60 284 | 11 946 | 2 556 |
KwaZulu-Natal | 293 013 | 241 179 | 51 834 | 7 044 |
North West | 53 091 | 37 640 | 15 451 | 863 |
Mpumalanga | 56 875 | 47 343 | 9 532 | 831 |
Gauteng | 373 096 | 331 583 | 41 513 | 7 230 |
Limpopo | 51 286 | 42 948 | 8 338 | 1 004 |
Unknown | 0 | |||
TOTAL | 1 380 807 | 1 183 443 | 197 364 | 39 501 |
As always, in order to stay up to date with the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa and abroad, we advise the following materials and platforms:
- Dr Zweli Mkhize on Twitter
- COVID-19 Connect on WhatsApp – add 0600 123 456 as a contact and say “Hi”.
- World Health Organisation
- SA Coronavirus website
- SA Government
- SA Presidency
[Image – Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash]