SOUTH Africa has logged over 800 daily Coronavirus deaths for the first time since the outbreak, while new cases also hit a record high on Wednesday.
A total of 844 people lost their lives to Covid-19, pushing the death toll to 31 368.
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According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, the Eastern Cape reported 452 deaths due to the respiratory disease.
Meanwhile, 149 fatalities were reported in the Western Cape, 96 in Gauteng, 65 in KwaZulu-Natal, 46 in the North West, 12 in the Free State, 11 in Limpopo, eight in Mpumalanga and five in the Northern Cape.
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In addition, Mkhize described the latest number of daily infections as a “grim milestone” as the figure of new cases breached the 20 000 mark.
According to Mkhize, 21 832 cases have been identified since the last reporting cycle, which brings the total cumulative Covid-19 cases to 1 149 591.
The country currently has 188 984 active cases, with KwaZulu-Natal leading with 76 993 people who are currently infected, followed by the Western Cape with 41 356 and Gauteng 35 727.
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Limpopo has 7 592 active cases, North West 6 958, Free State 6 565, Eastern Cape 5 610, Mpumalanga 5 441 and Northern Cape 2 742.
To date, 929 239 people have recovered from Covid-19, which translates to a recovery rate of 80.8 per cent.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
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