Health minister Dr Zwelini Mkhize confirmed that South Africa’s cumulative Covid-19 cases have increased by 7 070 in the last 24 hours bringing total number of Covid-19 cases to 1 430 648.
The cumulative total of tests conducted to date is 8 107 833 with 49 065 new tests conducted since the last report. Our recoveries now stand at 1 263 476, representing a recovery rate of 88,3%, Mkhize said.
The minister said a further 753 deaths have been reported: Eastern Cape 6, Free State 17, Gauteng 75 ,Kwa-Zulu Natal 261, Limpopo 219 (the province continues to conduct audits of the deaths in hospitals and updating the figures), Mpumalanga 16, North West 50, Northern Cape 7 and Western Cape 102 which brings the total to 42 550 deaths.
He added that the recoveries now stand at 1 263 476, representing a recovery rate of 88,3%.
Meanwhile President Cyril Ramaphosa said the African Union was working closely with the World Bank to ensure more countries had access to funding for Covid-19 vaccines.
Rampahosa, who chairs the African Union, delivered a virtual address on Wednesday on the continent’s COVID-19 vaccine financing and development strategy.
To date, the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team initiated by the president has acquired a provisional 270 million vaccine doses for African countries, with at least 50 million being available in April.
Ramaphosa said the race for vaccines had put many AU countries at a disadvantage despite their involvement in the clinical development of a vaccine.
“The painful irony is that some of the clinical trials for these vaccines were carried out in Africa and now we cannot get access to the very vaccines that were tested on us. In other cases, vaccines are packaged right here, on the continent, yet we struggle to access them.”
He said measures had been taken to accelerate the access to a sufficient share of the global vaccine supply.
Globally, there are 101 244 625 Covid cases with 2 177 685 deaths and 73 158 823 recoveries according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Compiled by Lehlohonolo Lehana.