Covid-19 update: 50 new deaths bring SA’s total to 88,674

As of Tuesday, South Africa has recorded a total of 2.917,255 positive cases of coronavirus, with 453 new cases identified in the past 24 hours.

The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (23%), followed by Gauteng Province (21%), and Western Cape (19%). Free State accounted for 10%; Mpumalanga accounted for 9%; Northern Cape accounted for 7%; North West accounted for 6%; Eastern Cape accounted for 5%; and Limpopo accounted for 1% of today’s new cases.

This increase represents a 1.6% positivity rate, announced the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service.

As per the National Department of Health, a further 50 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 88,674 to date.

 18.217,612 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors.

There has been an increase of 56 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

– 4.9 million dead – 

The coronavirus has killed at least 4,902,638 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Tuesday. 

The US has suffered the most Covid-related deaths with 726,201, followed by Brazil with 603,465, India 452,454, Mexico 284,477 and Russia 225,325.

Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were the US with 1,832, Russia with 1,015 and Ukraine with 538.

Taking into account excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, the World Health Organization estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.

Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde. Additional reporting by AFP