SA edges closer to 600,000 Covid-19 infections

SA edged closer to 600,000 positive Covid-19 cases when health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize released the latest pandemic statistics on Tuesday evening.

The cumulative number of infections is now 592,144.

There were 2,258 positive cases and 282 deaths recorded over the past 24-hour cycle.

There were 66 deaths in Eastern Cape, 89 from Gauteng, 57 from KwaZulu-Natal, three from the Northern Cape, 13 from the Free State, 34 from the Western Cape and 20 from North West. The cumulative death toll is now 12,264.

Recoveries stand at 485,468, translating to a recovery rate of 82%.

Smokers stocked up on cigarettes after the five-month-long tobacco sales ban was lifted on Tuesday. The sale of alcohol, for limited trading hours, also resumed.

TimesLIVE reported earlier that there was likely to be a slight increase in the number of infections over the next 10 days, according to the chair of the Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee, Prof Salim Abdool Karim.

This was expected, in line with the reopening of more economic sectors under the eased national lockdown regulations.

TimesLIVE