Covid-19 positivity rate drops to 6.5% as SA records 1,742 new cases
SA recorded only 1,742 Covid-19 cases in the past 24-hours, but it was the positivity rate of 6.48% that will likely be the good news.
Shortly before the start of the second wave of infections late last year, health minister Zweli Mkhize stated a positivity rate of more than 10% was concerning.
The latest statistics released by Mkhize on Monday showed the positivity rate was significantly lower, with the 1,742 new cases coming from 26,859 tests.
There have been 1,479,253 cases of Covid-19 confirmed across SA since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country 11 months ago.
Mkhize also reported on Tuesday night that 396 deaths related to Covid-19 had been recorded in the past 24-hours, taking the total number of fatalities to 46,869.
Of the new deaths, 118 were in Limpopo, 85 in KwaZulu-Natal, 81 in Gauteng, 65 in the Western Cape, 20 in the Eastern Cape, 18 in Mpumalanga, six in the Free State and three in the Northern Cape.
To date, 1,367,247 recoveries have been recorded at a recovery rate of 92%.
TimesLIVE
Since the Covid-19 pandemic first hit South African shores in March 2020, frontline workers have worked tirelessly and at great personal risk. Stories of sacrifice and loss, both personal and professional, are plenty on the country's frontline. While infection numbers drop and the arrival of vaccines brings renewed hope, these workers have seen this trend before. They're gearing up for an inevitable third wave. From ambulance, to hospital, to graveyard - MultimediaLIVE takes you to the frontline of SA's fight against Covid-19.