DURBAN - MORE than 17 000 people have tested positive for Covid-19 today, the highest number of positive cases in a single day.
On Wednesday, the Health Ministry announced that the country's Covid-19 caseload had increased by 17 710 to 1 039 161.
"The positivity rate, being an indicator of the rapidity of spread, remains a major concern," Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said.
Mkhize said 465 more Covid-19-related deaths have been reported, taking the country's cumulative death toll to 28 033.
Deaths were reported in the following provinces:
Eastern Cape - 88
Free State - 4
Gauteng - 41
KwaZulu-Natal - 144
Limpopo - 16
Northern Cape - 7
Western Cape - 165
Mkhize said the recovery rate stood at 83%.
In his speech to the nation earlier this week, President Cyril Ramaphosa implored citizens to heed the call to follow Covid-19 safety protocol.
“The sooner we understand that it could very well be us in that ambulance speeding by, or us in that hospital bed, or us being buried at that funeral, the sooner we come to the reality of what we are facing right now,” Ramaphosa said.
"We can and will defeat this pandemic, but only if we each play our part. If we all rigorously adhere to basic precautions, we will see an immediate decline in infections and hospital admissions," he added.
IOL