This past weekend many in the country had to contend with loadshedding once again, with it expected to be a fixture throughout most of this week too as the power utility struggles to keep its generating capacity at an acceptable level. Exacerbating matters is the fact that we still have to contend with COVID-19 in South Africa as well, with an upcoming Easter weekend sowing uncertainty as to how well the country can stave off a third wave.
As for the latest report from the National Department of Health (NDoH), the past 24 hours has seen 1 006 cases being reported, pushing the total number of infections recorded to date to 1 529 420.
The department also reports that the total number of recoveries currently sits at 1 454 290, translating to an increase in the recovery rate to 95 percent.
Looking at some of the other key statistics, 145 444 vaccines have been administered, but at the time of writing, there is no word on when the next batch of vaccines are expected to land in the country, casting more doubts as to how quickly population immunity can be achieved.
The NDoH has also regrettably had to report 65 new fatalities, as the death toll related to COVID-19 in South Africa rises to 51 326.
The full breakdown of COVID-19 in South Africa is as follows:
Provinces | Confirmed Cases | Recoveries | Active cases | Deaths |
Western Cape | 280 031 | 263 846 | 16 185 | 11 353 |
Eastern Cape | 194 333 | 182 729 | 11 604 | 11 323 |
Northern Cape | 34 894 | 32 059 | 2 859 | 781 |
Free State | 81 414 | 75 338 | 6 076 | 3 493 |
KwaZulu-Natal | 331 854 | 315 267 | 16 587 | 9 832 |
North West | 62 158 | 57 937 | 4 221 | 1 291 |
Mpumalanga | 72 878 | 70 596 | 2 282 | 1 294 |
Gauteng | 409 173 | 396 416 | 12 757 | 10 011 |
Limpopo | 62 685 | 60 102 | 2 583 | 1 948 |
Unknown | 0 | |||
TOTAL | 1 529 420 | 1 454 290 | 75 130 | 51 326 |
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 Federico Bottos on Unsplash]