While the country has dropped to Level 2, the number of new Covid-19 cases in the Northern Cape is amongst the highest it has ever been, with just under 300 new cases in one day.
WHILE the country has dropped to Level 2, the number of new Covid-19 cases in the Northern Cape is amongst the highest it has ever been, with just under 300 new cases in one day.
According to figures released by the Minister of Health on Thursday (3 September) an additional 296 people in the Province tested positive for Covid-19.
However, the figures did not look much better on Friday.
An additional 214 people tested positive in the Northern Cape, bringing the cumulative total to 11 521 people.
Also, the Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize, announced 11 additional deaths in the Northern Cape – 3 from the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality and 8 from Phokwane Local Municipality.
This brings the total number of deaths in the Province due to Covid-19 to 145.
The Northern Cape has only exceeded 300 new cases in a 24-hour period on three occasions, namely on July 31 when the highest ever number of new infections was recorded at 338, August 14 (316 new infections) and August 27 (331 new infections).
According to information from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), a total of 962 people in the Province have been admitted to hospital for Covid-19, and currently 147 are still being treated in hospital. Of this number 22 people are in the intensive care unit and 14 are on a ventilator.
Mkhize said on Friday night that the country had 115 more Covid-19-related deaths and 2 063 new infections.
This takes South Africa’s Covid-19 death toll to 14 678, and infections to over 635 078.
South Africa has the seventh most Covid-19 infections in the world, behind only the USA, Brazil, India, Russia. Peru and Columbia.
Since Monday, there have been 650 Covid-19-related deaths in the country, while active cases in the country are now at 62 582 according to the Health Ministry.
Globally, active cases stand at just over 7 million.
Although the number of new infections has slowed considerably, as has the rate of testing in the past week, daily deaths are also starting to slow, although they are still over 100 per day.
The Department of Health said it had now tested over 3.7 million people in the private and public sector, with almost 18 600 tests conducted in the past 24 hours.
South Africa’s coronavirus death toll now stands at 14 678.
The Western Cape still has the most deaths, with 3950, Gauteng with 3773, Eastern Cape with 2968 and KZN, with 2218, have the most fatalities in the country.
Of the latest 115 deaths, Mkhize said the most deaths came from Gauteng, Free State, KZN and the Eastern Cape.
This brings the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 14 678.
“We extend our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health care workers that treated the deceased patients.
“Our recoveries now stand at 557 818 which translates to a recovery rate of 88%,” he said.
The minister also told Parliament on Wednesday, that the country had passed it’s Covid-19 storm.
Also this week, Wits University vaccinologist Professor Shabir Madhi said community transmissions were slowing and that the positivity rate had almost halved between level 5 and level 2, going from 27% to 15% currently.
Madhi said they expected further decreases in the next few weeks, but stressed it was not the time for Covid-19 complacency.
