Cape Town – The cumulative number of Covid-19 cases identified in South Africa rose to 1 578 450 on Wednesday, with 1 250 new cases reported.
A total of 48 more Covid-19-related deaths have been reported: North West 19, Eastern Cape 11, Northern Cape 5, Free State 4, Gauteng 4, Western Cape 4 and KwaZulu-Natal 1, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement. No deaths were reported in Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
The death toll now stands at 54 285. The cumulative number of recoveries are 1 503 611, representing a recovery rate of 95%.
The number of tests conducted to date is 10 545 817. Of these, 14 838 tests were conducted since the last report.
The number of healthcare workers vaccinated under the Sisonke Protocol so far is 298 153.
As if today the cumulative number of #COVID19 cases identified in South Africa is 1 578 450. Today, 48 more COVID-19 related deaths have been reported which brings the total to 54 285 deaths.The cumulative recoveries now stand at 1 503 611, representing a recovery rate of 95%. pic.twitter.com/NrpsWt0j8D
— Department of Health (@HealthZA) April 28, 2021
The Johnson & Johnson vaccination rollout programme, which was halted two weeks ago, resumed on Wednesday with strict warnings of side effects.
“We have asked members to be informed of this risk and they should also be conscious of it. We have signs out there so that people can be aware of certain signs such as headaches, dizziness, and abdominal cramps.
’’If they have any sense of discomfort that they feel, they should make sure that they get checked so we can be on the lookout for these symptoms,” said Mkhize.
The government has until Friday to establish the no-fault Covid-19 vaccination compensation fund, a requirement from vaccine manufacturers Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer.
Mkhize told parliament’s portfolio committee on health on Wednesday that the regulations have been published.
“We are hoping that it will make it easier for people to understand that we are protecting them further as the government, so that there is no-one who is exposed to a risk without any form of redress,” said Mkhize.
South Africa is likely to experience a third wave of Covid-19 infections during winter, when temperatures drop and people’s immunity will be weakened.
This is according to epidemiologist Profesoor Salim Abdool Karim, who until recently was chair of the ministerial advisory committee on Covid-19.
“When I look at the trends, there is a reasonable likelihood we may see the third wave at the end of June and in July. That is when we are mostly indoors,” Karim said in an interview on SAfm on Wednesday.
IOL