There have been 135 Covid-19 related deaths over the past 24 hours in SA.

The cumulative number of infections as of Thursday evening was 337,594, which saw the country retain its status as the sixth worst-hit nation in terms of caseload on Worldometer, ahead of Mexico, Chile, Spain, the UK and Iran.

The number of infections tracked in SA over the past 24 hours was 13,373.

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said in a statement on Thursday evening that the total number of deaths in the country had reached 4,804.

There have been 178,183 recoveries across the country.

The total number of tests conducted to date is 2,373,053 with 48,130 new tests conducted since the last report on Thursday.

Despite the surge in cases in some provinces, SA remains among the lowest when it comes to the number of fatalities per one million of the population out of the top 10 nations tracked by Worldometer.

Mkhize also announced that the recommended isolation period for patients with confirmed Covid-19 infection had been reduced from 14 to 10 days.

Western Cape premier Alan Winde, who is diabetic and recovering from Covid-19, on Friday urged “high risk” groups, such as people over 55 and those with a chronic condition, to take suitable precautions to protect themselves.

“Diabetics are particularly vulnerable to severe illness once they become symptomatic and require earlier care and intervention for a better health outcome,” he said in a statement.

“Research in the province has shown us that many diabetics are only tested for Covid-19 when they arrive at the hospital with severe symptoms such as shortness of breath. My message to all diabetics today is that if you have any symptoms, get tested as soon as possible.”