In seven weeks time, it will have marked a year since the country first went into lockdown. While we have had to persevere through two waves of infections, COVID-19 in South Africa is still far from over. This as the total number of infections to date now totals 1 463 016, with 4 058 new cases being reported over the past 24 hours.
The number of new daily infections may be on the decrease, but of growing concern is the continued high number of new fatalities. This as 398 deaths have been added to the country’s total of 45 344. Once again, KwaZulu-Natal accounts for the largest amount at 138, as the National Department of Health (NDoH) struggles to limit the number of lost lives in the region.
It serves as a stark reminder that while lockdown restrictions have been eased this week, South Africa is no less vulnerable.
Looking at some of the other figures in the latest report from the NDoH, the number of recoveries sits at 1 323 680, which translates to a recovery rate of 90.5 percent, symboling a continued incremental increase this week.
The full breakdown of COVID-19 in South Africa is as follows:
Provinces | Confirmed Cases | Recoveries | Active cases | Deaths |
Western Cape | 270 692 | 246 800 | 23 892 | 10 447 |
Eastern Cape | 192 330 | 178 949 | 13 381 | 10 827 |
Northern Cape | 32 184 | 27 699 | 2 859 | 595 |
Free State | 76 827 | 65 169 | 11 658 | 2 774 |
KwaZulu-Natal | 317 824 | 266 907 | 50 917 | 8 869 |
North West | 57 648 | 48 960 | 8 688 | 966 |
Mpumalanga | 66 048 | 61 459 | 4 589 | 1 018 |
Gauteng | 390 890 | 373 726 | 17 164 | 8 437 |
Limpopo | 58 573 | 54 011 | 4 562 | 1 411 |
Unknown | 0 | |||
TOTAL | 1 463 016 | 1 323 680 | 139 336 | 45 344 |
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 – United Nations COVID-19 Response on Unsplash]