Yesterday we saw the number of newly recorded fatalities related to COVID-19 in South Africa breach the 500 mark and the latest report from the National Department of Health (NDoH) shows an increase in terms of the number of infections.

This as 14 728 new cases have been recorded in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of cases recorded to date to 2 638 981. As for fatalities, 384 deaths have been reported, as the death toll rises to 78 377.

Looking at the other key figures in the report, the recovery rate has dropped slightly to 91 percent due to the rise in infections, with 2 402 020 recoveries being reported. The NDoH also confirms that over 15.75 million tests have been conducted to date.

Shifting to the vaccine rollout, which has become increasingly important as experts anticipate a fourth wave of infections in December later this year, the current turnout to vaccination sites remains a concern. This as only 194 882 jabs were administered in the past 24 hours, with the NDoH and other branches of government now on a drive to address vaccine misinformation and encourage South Africans to register to receive the vaccine.

As of 17:00 on 18th August, 9 962 111 vaccines in total have been administered, with an estimated 4 482 893 people inoculated at this stage.

The full breakdown of COVID-19 in South Africa is as follows:

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:

• 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 Alan W on Unsplash]