Cape Town – A total of 16 078 new Covid-19 cases were identified in South Africa on Thursday, compared to 17 493 yesterday
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said this brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 1 877 143. This increase represents a 24.5% positivity rate.
Gauteng (9 521) accounts for the majority of new cases (59%), followed by the Western Cape (1 912). North West has 1 143 new infections and Limpopo 867.
A further 148 Covid-19-related deaths have been reported, compared to 166 yesterday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 59 406 to date.
A total of 12 769 052 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors.
An increase of 607 hospital admissions have been reported in the past 24 hours.
The Nasrec Covid-19 field hospital will be reopened, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said on Thursday.
The provincial government closed the field hospital in February, saying there was no longer any scientific, statistical or clinical reason to keep it open.
In recognition of President Cyril Ramaphosa's efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the AU Bureau of Assembly of Heads of States and Government appointed him its champion on Covid-19.
#COVID19 UPDATE: A total of 65,631 tests were conducted in the last 24 hrs, with 16,078 new cases, which represents a 24.5% positivity rate. A further 148 #COVID19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 59,406 to date. Read more: https://t.co/yPNhVnfaHP pic.twitter.com/gVkl9rzNTO
— NICD (@nicd_sa) June 24, 2021
The appointment was initially made at the 34th ordinary session of the AU held on February 6, the Presidency said on Thursday.
After his appointment, Ramaphosa established the commission on African Covid-19 response, which he chairs. His deputy is Dr John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hospitals in Africa are being overwhelmed by severe cases of Covid-19 in a surging third wave — the most severe to date — on the continent, says Nkengasong.
“At least 20 countries are fully in the middle of the third wave and the peak of the third wave is remarkably higher than the peak of the second wave,” he warned at a weekly coronavirus briefing on Thursday.
“The third wave is more severe and has consequences in health systems being overwhelmed.”
IOL