The number of detected COVID-19 cases has jumped to 717 851 after 1 092 patients were confirmed to have contracted the virus on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, 45 more people died of COVID-19 related deaths bringing the tally to 19 053 since the outbreak.
Of the latest fatalities, 12 are from Free State, 11 from Western Cape, 10 from the Eastern Cape, five from KwaZulu-Natal, four from Gauteng and three from Mpumalanga.
“Our recoveries now stand at 647 833 which translates to a recovery rate of 90%,” said Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize.
The information is based on the 4 726 875 tests conducted of which 17 472 were performed since the last report.
Over 2 million new cases have been reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the past seven days.
According to the WHO’s latest COVID-19 weekly epidemiological update, this is the highest number of new COVID-19 cases reported globally in the shortest intervals since the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the number of new deaths is “comparable” to previous weeks.
“As of 25 October, over 42 million cases and 1.1 million deaths have been reported globally, with over 2.8 million new cases and nearly 40 000 new deaths reported over the past week,” the agency explained.
The European region accounts for the greatest proportion of reported new cases for the second consecutive week, with over 1.3 million new cases reported this past week – a 33% increase in cases compared to the previous week.
The WHO said the region is now contributing nearly half of all new cases reported worldwide this week.
“Similarly, the number of deaths continues to increase in the region with a 35% increase from last week and accounting for nearly one-third of all new deaths globally.”
Meanwhile, although not as substantial, the rise in Coronavirus has also been noted in the region of the Americas, Eastern-Mediterranean and African regions.
“Declines in cases and deaths continued to be reported in the South-East Asia region while the Western Pacific region has shown a slight decline in new cases and deaths in the past seven days.”
In Africa, the WHO recorded 32 000 new cases and 800 new deaths over the past week.
According to the agency, the region accounts for around 1% of new global cases and 2% of new global deaths.
South Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia continue to account the highest numbers of new infections.
“The region shows a mixed pattern with countries at different epidemic stages and experiencing different outcomes. Despite this, COVID-19 continues to contribute an added burden to public health, strained already stretched health systems and caused socio-economic pressures,” the agency noted. – SAnews.gov.za
