3147 new Coronavirus infections in SA
UPDATE: Health Minister Zweli Mkhize briefed media UPDATE: Health Minister Zweli Mkhize briefed media
South Africa confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus has shot up to 58 568, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said yesterday.
This is an increase of 3147 cases from Wednesday’s 55 421 cases.
As of Wednesday night, the death toll stood at 1210.
Mkhize said that there were now over 1 million Covid-19 tests which had been conducted in the country.
He said 1 028 399 tests had been conducted, of which, more than 532 000 tests had been done in the public sector.
Just under 30 000 tests had been conducted in the past 24 hours.
The country is currently in Day 77 of the national lockdown which has been eased to alert level three since the start of June, allowing more businesses to operate and alcohol to be sold for the first time since late March.
Mkhize said a tracking and tracing platform had been started by government and was currently in use in the Western Cape.
Meanwhile, 98 teachers in the Western Cape have contracted Covid-19, the education department Brian Schreuder said.
Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said the names of the schools and teachers will not be publicised to prevent disruption.
Premier Alan Winde defended the reopening of schools, saying the South African Paediatric Association has supported the staggered re-opening schools based on medical evidence.
“Children biologically contain SARS-CoV-2 better than adults, are less likely to get sick if infected, have milder disease, are unlikely to die from Covid-19, and are probably less infectious than adults,” he said.