Nearly 1,400 new Covid-19 cases and 73 deaths recorded in 24 hours: Mkhize

There were 1,372 new Covid-19 cases and 73 deaths recorded across SA in the past 24 hours, health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Thursday.

This means there have been 1,562,931 cases and 53,571 fatalities recorded since the outbreak of the coronavirus in March last year.

The new infections came from 43,550 tests, at a positivity rate of 3.15%.

Of the 73 deaths, 20 were in KwaZulu-Natal, 16 in Gauteng, 13 in the Eastern Cape, eight in Limpopo, six in the Free State, five in the Western Cape, four in Mpumalanga and one in the Northern Cape. The North West was the only province not to record a death related to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.

Mkhize also reported there had now been 1,488,060 recoveries recorded, at a recovery rate of 95%.

Also on Thursday night, Mkhize’s media team announced the minister would on Friday morning launch the Covid-19 Electronic Vaccination Data System for people who are 60 years and older.

’The launch forms part of the department’s preparations for the second phase of the vaccination programme,”  the team said.

TimesLIVE