As we reach the end of the first month of 2021, COVID-19 in South Africa still remains a harsh reality for many in the country to wrap their heads around. As such it looks like the lives we lead last year in the “new normal” are here to stay for the next few months at the minimum.
While we wait to see how effective our adjusted level 3 lockdown is, as well as the incoming first batch of vaccines, there are still the daily reports from the National Department of Health (NDoH) to look at. The latest one features some cause for optimism, with the new number of cases dropping significantly compared to previous weeks at 4 551.
We still need to see how the coming days pan out, however, as the new numbers often pick up as the week progresses.
Looking at the other figures in the report, the NDoH says the total number of infections to date now sits at 1 417 537, with 1 241 421 recoveries also being recorded. This has resulted in the recovery rate picking up slightly to 87.6 percent.
While still high, the number of new daily fatalities is also lessening. That said, unfortunately 243 new deaths have been recorded over the past 24 hours, pushing the total related to COVID-19 in South Africa to date to 41 117.
The full breakdown of COVID-19 in South Africa is as follows:
Provinces | Confirmed Cases | Recoveries | Active cases | Deaths |
Western Cape | 265 663 | 230 390 | 35 273 | 9 901 |
Eastern Cape | 190 526 | 176 771 | 13 755 | 10 137 |
Northern Cape | 31 084 | 26 056 | 2 859 | 551 |
Free State | 74 118 | 61 374 | 12 744 | 2 643 |
KwaZulu-Natal | 304 155 | 250 195 | 53 960 | 7 432 |
North West | 54 881 | 40 165 | 14 716 | 877 |
Mpumalanga | 60 877 | 54 334 | 6 543 | 878 |
Gauteng | 381 574 | 354 539 | 27 035 | 7 675 |
Limpopo | 54 659 | 47 597 | 7 062 | 1 023 |
Unknown | 0 | |||
TOTAL | 1 417 537 | 1 241 421 | 176 116 | 41 117 |
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 Dimitri Karastelev on Unsplash]