South Africa’s COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses the 35 000 Mark

COVID-19 is showing no signs of slowing down in South Africa, with the death toll now exceeding 35 000.

The Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, reported a new record for most COVID-19 deaths in a single day since the outbreak.

This after 806 people lost their lives to the respiratory disease on Wednesday.

According to the latest data, 235 fatalities occurred in KwaZulu-Natal, 211 in Gauteng, 151 in the Western Cape and 150 in the Eastern Cape.

Twenty-four people died in Free State, 14 each in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, while seven were recorded in the Northern Cape.

The latest figure pushes the death toll to 35 140 since the first case was recorded in March last year.

“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated these patients,” said Mkhize.

Also, 18 558 patients were confirmed to have contracted the virus since the last 24 hours, which brings the growing number of COVID-19 cases to 1 278 303.

Meanwhile, the active cases stand at 212 233, of which 69 599 patients are based in KwaZulu-Natal, followed by Gauteng with 47 919, while 42 473 are found in the Western Cape.

The North West currently has 12 090 active cases, Limpopo 11 620, Free State 9 045, Mpumalanga 8 621, Eastern Cape 7 050 and Northern Cape 3 816.

Mkhize said the total number of tests conducted to date is 7 358 741, with 71 681 performed since the last reporting cycle.

“Our recoveries now stand at 1 030 930, representing a recovery rate of 80.6%,” he added.

According to the World Health Organisation, there have been 90 335 008 confirmed global cases of COVID-19, with 1 954 336 deaths, to date. – SAnews.gov.za