The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa has risen to 37 525, with 1 713 new cases and 37 more deaths reported over the past 24 hours, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Wednesday.
Seven deaths in the Eastern Cape, one in KwaZulu Natal and 29 in the Western Cape have increased the total national deaths to 792, Mkhize said in a statement.
"We note the same pattern that drove up the outbreak in Western Cape is building up in the
Eastern Cape. The two provinces now consist of 78% of all positive cases.
"Additional attention is being directed to the Eastern Cape to ensure the province can adequately
respond to limit escalation of infection," Mkhize said.
A breakdown of the latest data supplied by the Department of Health:
A total of 785 979 tests have been processed cumulatively, of which 24 445 tests have been conducted since the last report.
The recoveries to date are 19 682, which translates to a recovery rate of 52.45%.
The Western Cape, which has tested far more people for the coronavirus, accounts for more than 65% of the country's Covid-19 cases and deaths, with the Eastern Cape and Gauteng at just over 12% each.
Statistics show that Gauteng, which experts predict to have the highest number of cases by the end of the year, and the Eastern Cape are still lagging about three weeks behind the Western Cape but could catch up by early July during mid-winter.
On May 8, there were 4 497 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Western Cape and 88 deaths and by Monday it had escalated to 22 567 cases and 525 deaths. Gauteng and the Eastern Cape both only reached the 4 000 case mark on Monday.
* 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
IOL
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