Cape Town – The cumulative number of Covid-19-related cases in South Africa rose by 548 to 1 545 979 on Monday.
A total of 965 new cases were recorded yesterday and 15 deaths. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement 47 more Covid-19-related deaths have been reported: North West 23, Gauteng 15, Eastern Cape 3, Western Cape 3, Free State 2 and Northern Cape 1.
No deaths were reported in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. The total number of deaths now stand at 52 710.
The cumulative number of recoveries today stand at 1 472 645, representing a recovery rate of 95%.
The cumulative total of tests conducted is 9 819 994, with 16 123 tests completed since the last report.
The Zimbabwean government will start issuing Covid-19 certificates to people who have received their second dose as a way to verify who has been vaccinated.
The certificate will come in the form of an electronic card with security features and a QR code which can be scanned for verification. It will be linked to the person’s passport and national identity document.
Director of health informatics and data analytics in the ministry of health and childcare, Dr Simukai Zizhou, told TimesLIVE the electronic card will combat the sale of counterfeit certificates that are already circulating in the country.
“The electronic cards will also be used when people travel in and out of the country and will also help to combat the sale of counterfeit certificates” said Zizhou.
Zimbabwe has been facing public resistance towards vaccination, with a low vaccine uptake from the population.
Meanwhile, the take-up of Covid-19 vaccines was much lower among minority groups in the first three months of the rollout in England, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Monday, amid concern the benefits of the programme are being unevenly felt.
"Vaccination rates are markedly lower amongst certain groups, in particular amongst people identifying as Black African and Black Caribbean, those identifying as Muslim, and disabled people," ONS statistician Ben Humberstone said.
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