The number of positive Covid-19 cases in South Africa has increased by 8 147 to 1 412 986, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed on Sunday.
Over the past 24 hours, a further 300 deaths have been recorded, bringing the death toll in the country since the start of the pandemic to 40 874.
At 48 482, KwaZulu-Natal currently has the highest number of active Covid-19 cases, with the Western Cape following closely at 25 901 active cases.
The province with the lowest number of active cases is the Northern Cape with 4 578. The province’s Nelson Mandela Bay was declared a hotspot ahead of the festive season.
Deaths and recoveries
Of the 300 deaths announced by Mkhize on Sunday, 45 were from Gauteng, 70 from KwaZulu-Natal, 105 from the Western Cape, 15 from the Free State, 43 Eastern Cape, 14 from North West, 6 from Mpumalanga and two from the Northern Cape.
To date, 1 230 520 people have recovered from the disease, putting the country’s recovery rate at 87 percent, Mkhize said.
Testing
The number of tests conducted now stands at 7 993 126, with 46 119 carried out in the past 24 hours, according to the minister.
31 000 vaccinations a day: SA’s ambitious Covid-19 vaccine roll-out plan
South Africa will embark on an ambitious Covid-19 vaccine roll-out plan that will cost in excess of R20 billion with up to 31 000 vaccinations taking place each day.
With just over a week to go until the end of January, and the awaited arrival of the first batch of one million Covid-19 vaccines, South Africans are anticipating a more detailed vaccine roll-out plan.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called the vaccine drive “the largest and most complex logistical undertaking in our country’s history”.