Cape Town – The cumulative number of Covid-19-related cases identified in South Africa on Friday stood at 1 581 210, with 1 674 new cases reported.
A total of 19 Covid-19 deaths were reported: Gauteng 7, KwaZulu-Natal 4, Eastern Cape 3, Mpumalanga 3, Free State 1 and Western Cape 1. No fatalities were recorded in Limpopo, North West and the Northern Cape.
There have now been 54 350 Covid-19 deaths, with 1 505 620 cumulative recoveries, representing a recovery rate of 95%.
The number of tests conducted to date is 10 654 870. Of these, 29 840 tests were conducted since the last report.
A total of 317 656 healthcare workers have been vaccinated under the Sisonke Protocol to date.
Meanwhile, Uganda has detected the Indian variant of the novel coronavirus, igniting fears the East African nation could suffer a resurgence of cases just when its outbreak has waned, a senior health official said on Friday.
"Yes, we have got one individual who has that variant," Pontiano Kaleebu, head of the government-run Uganda Virus Research Institute told Reuters on Friday.
The variant, he said, had been detected in recent days on a Ugandan who had returned from a visit to India. He did not immediately have further information.
So far, Uganda, like many African countries, has experienced a relatively mild Covid-19 outbreak.
But concerns it could be vulnerable to contagion from the Indian variant are underscored by its large Indian community and strong relationship between the two countries, as India is a major exporter to Uganda.
As of Tuesday, Uganda had reported 41 797 infections and 342 deaths, health ministry data showed.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned that India's intense outbreak was a reminder that Africa must stay vigilant.
The head of the health agency, John Nkengasong, said the AU will convene a meeting of African health ministers on May 8 to “put everybody on alert”.
Ghanaian authorities have told citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Covid-19 hot-spot countries.
The BBC reported that those planning to travel to countries with high infection rates have been urged to postpone or cancel their trips.
According to reports, the government mentioned Asia and South America as some of the regions with "alarming rates of infections".
Health officials at Kotoka International Airport have noted an increase in the number of travellers testing positive for Covid-19, according to the BBC.
“In view of the alarming rate of infections of Covid-19 in some parts of the world, especially in Asia and South America, the Ghana Health Service wishes to advise the general public to either cancel or postpone all non-essential travels to countries with exceedingly high Covid-19 infection rate,” said the Ghana Health Service.
IOL