Covid-19: 663 new cases push total confirmed cases to 8895
Public and private health care sectors keeping up with each other as testing increases.
The Department of Health has announced an increase in the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa. As of 8 May, the number of infections stood at 8895 with the number of deaths nationally rising to 178. Seventeen deaths had been registered over the previous 24 hours – 3 each in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng, 2 in KwaZulu-Natal and 9 in the Western Cape.
Not only did the Western Cape record the biggest jump in fatalities, it also accounted for just over half of all confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country. According to the health department, 4497 cases had been registered in the province, making up 50.5 percent of positive cases countrywide. Gauteng had the second-highest number of confirmed cases at 1851 (20.8 percent of all cases) while the Northern Cape had the lowest with 27 (0.3 percent of all cases).
Provincial breakdown of positive cases:
Western Cape – 4497
Gauteng – 1851
KwaZulu-Natal – 1253
Eastern Cape – 989
Free State- 133
Mpumalanga- 60
Limpopo – 43
North West – 42
Northern Cape – 27
Total – 8895
South Africa had conducted 307 752 tests, including 15 599 tests in the preceding 24 hours, said the department. As of 5 May, over 8 million (8 216 605) citizens had been screened across the nation. Some 154 157 of the tests had been done in the public health sector and 153 595 in the private. The department added that as of 7 May, 435 Covid-19 patients were in hospital. Forty-five of those were in high care, 77 were in ICU, with 40 of those on ventilators. The hospitalisation rate remained at 5 percent of all patients diagnosed with Covid-19.
Covid-19 deaths per province:
Western Cape – 88
KwaZulu-Natal – 42
Eastern Cape – 21
Gauteng – 18
Free State – 6
Limpopo – 3
Mpumalanga, North West and the Northern Cape – 0
Total – 178
According to the department, there had been a delay in the reporting of some of these deaths due to the stringent verification processes undertaken to ensure the accuracy of results.
The Minister of Health Dr Zwelini Mkhize and his department expressed their condolences to the loved ones of the deceased and thanked the health care workers who had treated these patients.
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