Cape Town – The number of Covid-19-related cases identified in South Africa has remained below 3 000.
A total of 2 649 new cases have been reported, compared to 2 548 yesterday (4 525 on Sunday), Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement on Tuesday. The cumulative number of Covid-19 cases identified in South Africa is 1 458 958.
The number of fatalities rose again after 235 were reported yesterday and 213 on Sunday.
There were 547 Covid-19-related deaths on Tuesday: KwaZulu-Natal 143, Limpopo 134 (the province captured deaths from retrospective audits between 6 September and 29 January 2020), Gauteng 91, Western Cape 69, Eastern Cape 68, Free State 30, Mpumalanga 9 and Northern Cape 3.
This brings the total number of deaths to 44 946. The recoveries now stand at 1 318 504, representing a recovery rate of 90%.
The cumulative total of tests conducted to date is 8 329 691, with 28 942 new tests recorded since the last report.
Parliament's standing committee on public accounts is in favour of an open tender system for the storage and distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine.
In a statement on Tuesday, committee chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the committee has written to Mkhize and Finance Minister Tito Mboweni to request an open process for tenders to be issued for storage and delivery of the vaccine.
This comes a day after the country received its first batch of vaccines from India.
Meanwhile, a week after China made global headlines for introducing anal swab testing for Covid-19, its government has rubbished claims the method caused people to “walk like penguins”.
According to Reuters, some cities were using samples taken from the anus to detect potential Covid-19 infections, claiming it was more effective than throat swab testing and could be useful to minimise the risk of relapse after recovery.
Zimbabwe will have access to a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine soon, China's ambassador in Harare said on Tuesday, as Beijing ramps up its availability to developing nations.
Last week, Zimbabwe health officials said Russia and China had approached it about supplying coronavirus vaccines.
Covid infections have escalated in Zimbabwe this year, with about 60% of its 33,548 cases and more than two-thirds of its 1 234 deaths recorded since New Year's Day.
IOL