SA edges closer to 600,000 Covid-19 infections
Image: Sunday Times/Alaister Russell
SA edged closer to 600,000 positive Covid-19 cases when health minister 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 the Eastern Cape, 89 in Gauteng, 57 in KwaZulu-Natal, three in the Northern Cape, 13 in the Free State, 34 in the Western Cape and 20 in North West. The cumulative death toll is now 12,264.
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.