As the week progresses, the celsius continues to drop for those living on the Highveld. The prospect of colder months will prove difficult for many, with the continued fight against COVID-19 in South Africa exacerbating issues. Added to this is the second phase of the Sisonke Protocol vaccine rollout, which will see many elderly South Africans brave the cold as they wait for their jabs.
The latest report from the National Department of Health (NDoH) confirms that vaccinations are being administered at a steady pace, but the process needs to be ramped up significantly in the coming weeks if targets that the NDoH has outlined are to be met.
At the time of writing, 651 628 vaccines have been administered to date, with 171 860 being the first Pfizer one since phase two of the rollout began last week Monday.
As for the other statistics in the report, 2 383 new cases have been recorded over the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of infections recorded to date to 1 637 848. The recovery rate remains the same as it did yesterday at 94.1 percent, with 1 541 250 recoveries being recorded so far.
The department adds that over 11.37 million tests have been conducted to date.
Unfortunately, however, 72 new fatalities have been recorded over the past 24 hours as well. The Free State accounts for the majority of newly recorded deaths at 21, with the Western Cape and Limpopo reporting 13 a piece. As a result, the death tool related to COVID-19 in South Africa has now increased to 55 784.
The full breakdown of COVID-19 in South Africa is as follows:
| Provinces | Confirmed Cases | Recoveries | Active cases | Deaths |
| Western Cape | 291 584 | 276 962 | 1 996 | 11 764 |
| Eastern Cape | 197 123 | 184 895 | 210 | 11 649 |
| Northern Cape | 47 932 | 38 965 | 3 554 | 1 027 |
| Free State | 97 908 | 86 517 | 2 398 | 4 225 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 338 937 | 324 270 | 5 041 | 10 482 |
| North West | 73 398 | 66 576 | 2 881 | 1 844 |
| Mpumalanga | 81 245 | 78 408 | 991 | 1 434 |
| Gauteng | 444 851 | 422 704 | 3 231 | 11 039 |
| Limpopo | 64 870 | 61 953 | 295 | 2 410 |
| Unknown | 0 | |||
| TOTAL | 1 637 848 | 1 541 250 | 20 597 | 55 874 |
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 Maskmedicare Shop on Unsplash]
