Daily Covid-19 update: Record low death toll

As of Sunday, the cumulative number of detected Covid-19 cases is 1,584,064 with 1222 new cases identified, Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has confirmed.

The total number of Covid-19 related deaths was 11, with 1 from Eastern Cape, 5 from Free State, 1 from Gauteng, 0 from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), 0 from Limpopo, 0 from Mpumalanga, 0 from North West, 1 from Northern Cape and 3 from Western Cape.

This brings the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 54, 417.

Recoveries now stand at 1,507,778 representing a recovery rate of 95%.

A total of 10,699,021 tests have been completed with 27,957 new tests conducted since the last report.

READ NEXT: First Pfizer batches to arrive in SA, Sunday night

The total number of vaccines that have been administered stands at 318,670.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced that the first batches of Pfizer vaccines will land at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday evening, 2 May.

Mkhize confirmed in a statement on Sunday that 325, 260 doses will arrive at 11.45pm.

“Upon arrival, the entire batch will be transported initially to a central warehouse. Samples will be sent to the National Control Laboratory for quality assurance and, after release, will be distributed to the provinces.

“Following this initial delivery of Pfizer we are expecting approximately the same number of doses, ie 325,260, to arrive on a weekly basis to a total of over 1.3 million doses by the end of May. Thereafter the vaccine supply will increase to an average of 636,480 doses weekly from 31 May which will see us accumulating close to 4.5 million doses by the end of June.”

In regards to the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, the health minister said they have received communication that the doses are “dispatch in Gqeberha are expected to be released around the middle of May.”