As the country witnessed the first vaccinations being administered on Wednesday, the country’s COVID-19 figures increased by 2 320 new cases.
According to the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, the cumulative number of COVID-19 infections now stand at 1 496 439.
The latest statistics reveal that 165 more people died due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, which brings the death toll to 48 478 deaths.
Of the most recent fatalities, 76 are from Gauteng, 25 from the Western Cape, 22 from Free State, 15 from the Eastern Cape, 14 from KwaZulu-Natal, nine from the Northern Cape and four from Mpumalanga.
There are 48 132 people in the country who are currently infected, with KwaZulu-Natal having the most number of active cases sitting at 16 256.
The province is followed by the Western Cape with 7 565 active cases, while 7 050 are in Free State.
Mkhize said there are 1 399 829 people who beat COVID-19, representing a recovery rate of 93.5%.
The cumulative total of tests conducted to date is 8 772 743 with 35 413 recorded since the last report.
Global view
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said there are 109 217 366 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 2 413 912 deaths, reported to date.
According to the WHO weekly epidemiological report, the number of global new cases reported has continued to fall, with 2.7 million new cases last week.
The world saw a 16% decline of over 500 000 fewer new cases compared to the previous week.
Meanwhile, the number of new deaths also saw a dip, with 81 000 new deaths reported last week, a 10% decline as compared to the previous week.
According to the agency, five out of six WHO regions reported a double-digit percentage decline in new cases, with only the Eastern Mediterranean region showing a 7% rise.
“Europe and the Americas continue to see the greatest drops in absolute numbers of cases. Meanwhile, the number of new deaths declined in all regions.”
In the past week, the five countries reporting the highest number of new cases continue to be the United States (673 630 cases, a 23% decrease), Brazil (318 290 cases, a 3% decrease), France (127 565 cases, a 6% decrease), Russia (104 602 cases, an 11% decrease), and the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (97 271 cases, a 27% decrease).
The WHO said the 501Y.V2 variant, first discovered in South Africa, has now spread to 46 countries across all six WHO regions. – SAnews.gov.za
