Cape Town - Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Wednesday announced the death of another 10 people from Covid-19 over the past 24 hours and 354 new confirmed infdections. This represents the highest jump in a single day since the first Covid-19 case was reported in South Africa last month.
In the Western Cape, which has the highest fatality rate in the country, one of the four patients who died was a nurse. According to Mkhize she was not infected at work.
"We sadly note that one of the deceased patients from the Western Cape was a registered nurse who worked for the Department of Health. Her passing will be sorely felt as we regard all our health workers as precious frontline soldiers of this battle against Covid-19. We also mention that this was a community transmission and did not occur within a health facility," the minister said.
Gauteng registered three new deaths, while two patients died in KwaZulu-Natal.
DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF LATEST COVID-19 FATALITIES:
WESTERN CAPE
- A 57-year-old male presenting with fever and shortness of breath. He had underlying hypertension.
- A 61-year-old female who presented with flu like symptoms and low blood oxygen. She was hypertensive.
- A 58-year-old female who presented with fever and shortness of breath. She had poorly controlled hypertension.
- A 33-year-old female who presented with flu-like symptoms and low blood oxygen. Her case is concerning as she was subsequently diagnosed with acute myocarditis (inflammation of the heart). She had no previously diagnosed co-morbidities.
GAUTENG
- An 89-year-old female who presented with shortness of breath
- An 82-year-old female who had underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). She presented with acute renal failure and a concomitant urinary tract infection.
- An 80-year-old male who presented with fever and shortness of breath. He too had underling COPD.
KWAZULU-NATAL
- An 89-year-old female who had underlying conditions of hypertension, diabetes and cardiac disease.
- A 67-year-old female who had underlying conditions of asthma and arthritis.
EASTERN CAPE
- A 39-year-old female that presented with pneumonia. She was a person living with HIV with superadded tuberculosis and cryptococcal meningitis.
Mkhize also announced that 11 630 Covid-19 tests were done in the last 24 hours, the highest number of tests done in a 24-hour period since the start of the outbreak in the country.
"Additionally we have also recorded the highest COVID positive result yield from a 24 hour cycle of testing at 3%," Mkhize said.
* For the latest on the Covid-19 outbreak, visit IOL's special #Coronavirus page.
** If you think you have been exposed to the Covid-19 virus, please call the 24-hour hotline on 0800 029 999 or visit sacoronavirus.co.za