Excess deaths head up again, but it could be ‘random fluctuation’

Johannesburg’s municipal workers bury the coffin of an unidentified body at the Olifantsvlei Cemetery.
Image: Guillem Sartorio/AFP

The announcement of level 1 lockdown coincided with an uptick in excess deaths linked directly or indirectly to the virus.

However, even though the 1,320 excess deaths outnumbered the total in the previous week, “the difference is well within random fluctuation”, says the SA Medical Research Council.

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A small contingent of artists, musicians and creatives protested at the Union buildings in Pretoria on September 16 2020. The protesting artists say that government has not done enough to support an embattled industry during the coronavirus pandemic.