Covid-19 update: 2,809 new cases and 5 deaths reported in SA

South Africa has identified 2,809 new cases of Covid-19, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, has announced.

This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3.957,777. This increase represents a 12.6% positivity rate.

The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (29%), followed by Western Cape (25%). Kwa-Zulu Natal accounted for 18%; Eastern Cape accounted for 11%; Free State accounted for 5%; Mpumalanga and North West each accounted for 4% respectively; Northern Cape accounted for 3%; and Limpopo accounted for 2% of today’s new cases. 

The country has also reported 28 deaths and of these five deaths occurred in the past 24 to 48 hours. The cumulative Covid-19 deaths are 100,190 to date.

There has been an increase of 103 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

25.264,922 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors.

Shanghai prepares to lift more Covid-19 curbs after lengthy lockdown

Shanghai authorities said Tuesday they will lift more restrictions in steps to return the Covid-hit city to normality, after two months of heavy-handed restrictions that throttled businesses and locked down residents.

The commercial hub of 25 million was shuttered in sections from late March, when the spread of the Omicron variant prompted China’s worst outbreak since the virus first emerged in the country in late 2019.

China is wedded to a zero-Covid strategy of hard lockdowns, mass testing and long quarantine periods to wipe out clusters.

But after gradually relaxing some rules over past weeks, officials said on Tuesday that residents living in areas deemed low risk will be allowed to move around the city freely, a major step toward ending the curbs.

The easing of restrictions will apply to around 22 million people, deputy mayor Zong Ming told reporters. 

“From June 1, the city will enter the third stage, that is, the stage of fully restoring the normal production and living order of the city,” Zong said. 

Malls, convenience stores, pharmacies and beauty salons will be allowed to operate at 75 percent capacity, while parks and other scenic spots will gradually reopen, she added. 

But cinemas and gyms remain closed, and schools — shut since mid-March — will slowly reopen on a voluntary basis.

E-commerce professional Chen Ying said she still planned to work from home but might treat her two-year-old son to a long-awaited walk outside.

“We should have been free to begin with, so don’t expect me to be deeply grateful now they’ve given it back to us,” she told AFP.

Additional reporting by AFP