Covid-19 update: 300 new deaths reported as KZN cases continue to climb

Just over 8000 new cases of Covid-19 were identified as of Sunday night, Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said. 

This brings the total number of cases in South Africa to 1,412,986. 

As of today, the total number of confirmed #COVID19 cases is 1 412 986 , the total number of deaths is 40 874 and the total number of recoveries is 1 230 520. pic.twitter.com/XQp9WRgQep

— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) January 24, 2021

Gauteng is still contributing the largest amount of Covid-19 cases, with 26.9%. However, KwaZulu-Natal is catching up, with a total case amount of 302,582, or 21.4%. 

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The Northern Cape is still contributing the least to Covid-19 statistics, with the province currently at 30,960 cases, or 2.2% of the total number of cases in the country. 

Of the 300 deaths reported on Sunday, 45 were in Gauteng, 43 were in the Eastern Cape, 15 in the Free State, 14 in the North West, 2 in the North West, and 70 in KwaZulu-Natal. The Western Cape saw the most deaths reported in one day, at 105. 

South Africa’s recovery rate is currently at 87%, with a total of 1,230,520. 

Covid-19 deaths and recoveries as of 24 January 2021. Picture: Twitter/@DrZweliMkhize

Global stats

In other parts of the world, deaths from Covid-19 have soared as lockdowns and systematic economic shutdowns continue.

Recent data shows that there are currently 25,865,068 global cases of the virus. 99.6% of this total are from patients with mild reported conditions, with 0.4% hospitalised in a serious or critical condition. 

More than 71 million people have recovered. 

In China, more than two million people have succumbed to the virus since it was first identified in the city of Wuhan. 

John Hopkins University reported that more than 25 million cases have been detected in the US since the start of the pandemic. 

Compiled by Nica Richards. Additional reporting by AFP.

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