Covid-19 cases rise to 1187, including several health workers

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in SA increased to 1187 on Saturday — up from 1170 on Friday, the health department said in a statement.

“We must outrightly state that these numbers do not indicate a reduction in the number of infections. It is merely a reflection of positive results that were received, verified and ready for today’s reporting,” health minister Zweli Mkhize said.

Several of those infected are doctors and nurses.

“We have noted with concern a number of confirmed Covid-19 cases of health workers who work both in the private and public hospitals. This includes doctors and nurses. We mention this because health workers are in the frontline of this battle.”

The provincial breakdown of confirmed cases is:

Gauteng — 533

Western Cape — 271

KwaZulu-Natal — 156

Free State — 68

North West — 6

Mpumalanga — 10

Limpopo — 11

Eastern Cape — 10

Northern Cape — 19

Another 117 cases have not been allocated to provinces.