There are 236 officials working for the department of correctional services and 473 inmates who have contracted Covid-19.

This brings the total number of cases to 709, the department said in an update on the impact of the coronavirus.

The department announced recently that it was releasing 19,000 inmates to slow the spread of Covid-19 infections in the country's overcrowded prisons.

“The Western Cape recorded additional cases of three officials and two inmates, while the Eastern Cape registered a case of an official,” said correctional services spokesperson  Singabakho Nxumalo.

The number of recoveries, as of Saturday, stood at 137.

The breakdown of Covid-19 cases in the department is:

• Eastern Cape: 488 cases, 72 recoveries and two deaths

• Western Cape: 197 cases, 53 recoveries and two deaths

• Limpopo: two cases and one recovery

• Gauteng: 16 cases, 10 recoveries

• Northern Cape: two cases

• Free State: one case

• KwaZulu-Natal: two cases

• Head Office: one case and one recovery.