Daily Covid-19 update: Inside Nasrec, 9,300 more cases reported

While Gauteng is still considered as the country's epicentre with the highest number of overall infections, it's death rate - and that of the Eastern Cape - make for grim reading at 999 and 871 deaths respectively.

MEC Bandile Masuku and Minister Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec as part of monitoring state of readiness as COVID-19 cases increase in Gauteng and to support staff working during pandemic, 20 July 2020. Picture:Nigel Sibanda

South Africa’s Covid-19 surge in infections continues unabated with another 9,300 new cases being recorded as of Monday, 20 July.

In a late night statement, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced that the county’s total recorded infections tally now stand at 373,628 cases. Another 140 deaths have been recorded, bringing the total number of fatalities to 5,173.

The minister added that the recovery rate stood at 52%.

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: MEC Bandile Masuku and Minister Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec as part of monitoring state of readiness as COVID-19 cases increase in Gauteng and to support staff working during pandemic, 20 July 2020. Picture:Nigel Sibanda

: MEC Bandile Masuku and Minister Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec as part of monitoring state of readiness as COVID-19 cases increase in Gauteng and to support staff working during pandemic, 20 July 2020. Picture:Nigel Sibanda

: MEC Bandile Masuku and Minister Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec as part of monitoring state of readiness as COVID-19 cases increase in Gauteng and to support staff working during pandemic, 20 July 2020. Picture:Nigel Sibanda

: Former Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku and Minister Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec as part of monitoring state of readiness as Covid-19 cases increase in Gauteng, and to support staff working during pandemic, 20 July 2020. Picture: Nigel Sibanda

: MEC Bandile Masuku and Minister Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec as part of monitoring state of readiness as COVID-19 cases increase in Gauteng and to support staff working during pandemic, 20 July 2020. Picture:Nigel Sibanda

: MEC Bandile Masuku and Minister Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec as part of monitoring state of readiness as COVID-19 cases increase in Gauteng and to support staff working during pandemic, 20 July 2020. Picture:Nigel Sibanda

: MEC Bandile Masuku and Minister Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec as part of monitoring state of readiness as COVID-19 cases increase in Gauteng and to support staff working during pandemic, 20 July 2020. Picture:Nigel Sibanda

: Picture:Nigel Sibanda

: MEC Bandile Masuku and Minister Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec as part of monitoring state of readiness as COVID-19 cases increase in Gauteng and to support staff working during pandemic, 20 July 2020. Picture:Nigel Sibanda

: Lenasia South Hospital being renovated in Johannesburg during MEC Bandile Masuku and Minister Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec as part of monitoring state of readiness as COVID-19 cases increase in Gauteng and to support staff working during pandemic, 20 July 2020. Picture: Nigel Sibanda

: MEC Bandile Masuku and Minister Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec as part of monitoring state of readiness as COVID-19 cases increase in Gauteng and to support staff working during pandemic, 20 July 2020. Picture:Nigel Sibanda

: Dr Zweli Mkhize visited Nasrec to monitor the state of Covid-19 readiness in Gauteng on 20 July 2020. Picture: Nigel Sibanda

KwaZulu Natal, which has the highest infection rate according to Mkhize, has recorded 429 deaths. Speaking while inspecting the Nasrec and Lenasia field hospitals yesterday, he said that this could mean that the province would take over from Gauteng to become the country’s next hotspot.

“We will discuss with KZN the issue of having enough beds and oxygen for patients. The turnaround times (for tests) should also be reduced. Our clinicians are on top of their game and they have good enough experience,” he added.

He has also addressed reports that Gauteng hospital beds were full, which he believed were created by the delays in getting test results, causing patients to be kept under investigation for longer in hospital.

Mkhize said the department was working around the clock to create more bed capacity so no one was turned away at hospitals.

“There are those who may not be admitted because of the doctor’s decision. It will not be because of space, but because of the
clinical judgement that they are going to be treated somewhere else,” he said.

He said the drop in trauma patient numbers gave them a huge advantage and would assist clinicians with dealing with Covid-19
patients in the next few weeks.