Covid-19 update: 17,421 new cases bring SA’s total to 1,231,597
A further 339 Covid-19 related deaths were recorded.
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
As of Sunday, the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases identified in South Africa is 1,231,597, with 17,421 new cases identified since the last report, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced.
A further 339 Covid-19 related deaths were recorded: Eastern Cape 77 , Free State 19, Gauteng 28, KwaZulu-Natal 71, Limpopo 14, Mpumalanga 10, Northern Cape 7 and Western Cape 113. This brings the total deaths to 33,163.
“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health care workers who treated the deceased. Our recoveries now stand at 966 368, representing a recovery rate of 78,4%,” said Mkhize.
Source: Health department
Source: Health department
US President-elect Joe Biden will receive his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, his office announced, three weeks after his first injection was broadcast live on TV to boost public confidence in the jab.
Biden, 78, told Americans “there’s nothing to worry about” when he got his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware on December 21.
His team said that his second jab would also be done in front of the media, without giving further details.
More than 374,000 people have died from the coronavirus in America, and Biden on Friday slammed President Donald Trump administration’s troubled distribution of vaccines as a “travesty.”
About 6.7 million Americans have so far received their first shot — far short of the target of 20 million by the end of 2020.
But 22.1 million doses have been distributed nationwide, underlining the logistical challenge of getting the injections administered to the elderly and health workers who are the priority.
Both vaccines currently authorised in the US, developed by Pfizer and Moderna, require recipients to receive booster shots after three and four weeks, respectively.
Biden, who will be inaugurated on January 20, plans to release every available dose of vaccine, rather than holding back half to make sure people receive their booster shots on time as is the current protocol.
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