Johannesburg – The Health Department said on Sunday that the number of positive Covid-19 cases had risen to 97 302, with 4 621 new cases reported from the last 24-hour testing cycle.
The Department reported 53 more Covid-19-related deaths with eight from Gauteng, one from KwaZulu Natal, 17 from Eastern Cape and 27 from Western Cape. The mortality rate stands at 1.98%.
This brings the total of Covid-19 deaths to 1930. There have been 51 608 recoveries to date, which translates to a recovery rate of 53%.
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize sent condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thanked the health care workers who have been treating Covid-19 patients.
The minister said South Africa was moving forward with confidence, backed by science, with regards to the pandemic.
Mkhize said the government had taken the necessary bold steps needed to prevent the rapid spread of Coronavirus. “The numbers would have been extremely high and quickly overwhelmed the system, had we not taken the measures we did.
“We are moving forward with confidence, backed by science, which told us it would not be worth extending the lockdown, as it would not have an effect on the inevitable laws of epidemiology.
“In terms of our model, even if we extended the lockdown by another two months, we would not necessarily delay the peak by any meaningful margin,” he said.
Mkhize said South Africa’s hospitalisation and mortality rates were among of the lowest in the world, and the recovery rate was higher than the global average.