Ekurhuleni sub-districts record spike in Covid-19 deaths

The Gauteng Health department on Friday released the Covid-19 stats for Ekurhuleni’s sub-districts as of 6 August 2021. The department calls on residents to wear a mask and avoid crowded spaces.

Ekurhuleni Covid-19 update

Over the past seven days, the Ekurhuleni North 2 sub-district recorded 33 new deaths, from 797 at the end of July to 830. In addition, 32 new deaths were recorded in Ekurhuleni South 1 during the same period.

Ekurhuleni South 2 recorded 17 new deaths, from 508 deaths at the end of July to 525 on 6 August. All other sub-districts combined – Ekurhuleni East 1, East 2, and North 1 – reported 22 deaths.

At the time of publishing, Ekurhuleni’s cumulative caseload stands at 174,879 new cases and 640 active cases, along with 4,497 deaths – including 30 unallocated cases – and 165,505 recoveries.

ALSO READ: Vaccine hesitancy in SA: Nearly half believe in the power of prayer

SA Covid-19 update

On Wednesday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported 13,263 new Covid-19 cases in a 24-hour cycle.

The Institute responsible for monitoring Covid-19 said that the increase represents a 22.3 % positivity rate. South Africa has now recorded 2 484 009 laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19.

“As per the National Department of Health, a further 423 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 73 415 to date,” the institute reported on Wednesday.

In addition, 15 031 457 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors.

Prayer versus the vaccine

A survey by Afrobarometer shows that nearly half of South Africans believe prayer to be more effective than a jab. Respondents were randomly selected across all provinces and demographics.

Respondents were asked: “Do you think prayer is more effective or less effective than a vaccine would be in preventing Covid-19 infection?”

While 47% said “prayer is somewhat more effective or much more effective than the vaccine”, 21% said it has “about the same effectiveness”, and 25% believed prayer was less effective.

READ MORE HERE: Vaccine hesitancy in SA: Nearly half believe in the power of prayer