Health minister Dr Zwelini Mkhize on Friday was expected to hold a press briefing on Covid-19 health interventions as the country moves to lockdown level 3.

Mkhize was set to be joined by members of the ministerial advisory committee, senior officials from the health department and representatives of health entities.

Mkhize admitted in a statement issued shortly after midnight that SA was suffering from a backlog of tests.

He said that, as of May 27, 634,996 tests had been conducted across the country. But of those, “a total of 29,948 tests reflects a backlog of unallocated tests”.

The ministry said that when specimens were collected, they were not always processed immediately — “resulting in a backlog in tests”.

“This means tests are not concluded on the same day when the specimen is received. The number of days it takes to clear those specimen remains variable,” said the statement.