Western Cape chalks up 1,500 Covid-19 deaths and new hospitalisation record

The Western Cape reached another bleak Covid-19 milestone on Tuesday as it chalked up its 1,500th death.

The province recorded 76 new deaths since Monday - a daily record - to reach the milestone. It also set new highs for people in hospital (1,653) and in intensive care (326).

However, the number of active cases declined by 525 day-on-day to 13,444 - meaning 25.8% of the province's Covid-19 patients are still struggling with the disease. More than 71% have recovered and 2.9% have died.

Cape Town is home to 77.5% of the province's 52,178 cases. In the worst-affected health subdistricts - Klipfontein and Khayelitsha, which contain most of the townships along the N2 - one person in every 70 has been diagnosed with Covid-19.

The Western Cape's share of nationwide cases has declined substantially - from two-thirds to just over half as the virus infects more people, particularly in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.