Covid19: SA Eclipses 70 000 Death Toll Mark, 243 New Fatalities Recorded
- South Africa has tipped the 70 000-mark for the total number of coronavirus-related deaths recorded since the start of the pandemic
- The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that the test positivity rate for coronavirus has dipped below 25 per cent
- Gauteng and the Western Cape are the two provinces with the highest number of new infections
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South Africa has now recorded over 70 000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus after 243 more people died in the last 24-hour testing period.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that a total of 70 018 have, so far, succumbed to the virus in the country since the first deaths were reported in March, last year.
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According to SABC News, the picture may be more gloomy owing to the large number of excess deaths that were reported over the last 17 to 18 months. The NICD further reported that the test positivity rate for coronavirus has dipped below 25 per cent.
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The institute noted that another 5 683 new positive cases have been reported overnight, but it is thought that the actual figure may also be higher taking into account a lower number of tests conducted.
Over two million positive coronavirus cases identified since start of pandemic
Sinenhlanhla Jimoh, the NICD's spokesperson, confirmed that a total of 14 587 196 tests had been conducted in both public and private sectors, according to a report by IOL. Jimoh said close to 2.4 million lab-confirmed positive coronavirus cases have, so far, been recorded.
"Today the institute reports 5 683 new Covid-19 cases that have been identified in the country, which brings the total number of lab-confirmed [positive] cases to 2 383 490. This increase represents a 24.3 per cent positivity rate," explained Jimoh.
Gauteng had the highest number of new infections of any province with 27 per cent, followed closely by the Western Cape with 21 per cent. The other provinces are KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga with a 15 and 10 per cent test positivity rate, respectively.
The Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Free State and the North West numbered in the single digits as the lowest contributors to the overall total. President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday imposed an adjusted level 3 lockdown across the country from Monday, 26 July.
Covid19: Gauteng on the path to beating devastating 3rd wave
Per a recent Briefly News report, there seems to be a consensus within the medical and science communities that Gauteng's destructive third wave of Covid-19 infections will soon be a thing of the past.
Professor Salim Abdool Karim, the former chair of the ministerial advisory committee on Covid-19, said the province, which was recently rocked by a wave of public violence, has shown a decline in the infection rate.
He added that the third wave was more than twice the peak of the first and second waves in the country, according to a report by TimesLIVE.
“Gauteng has really been through a rough patch, but now that they are on the decline, the number of cases will start rapidly going down,” said Karim.
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Source: Briefly News
