Health minister Zweli Mkhize has announced that there are now a total of 572 865 cases of coronavirus in South Africa.
The total number of tests conducted to date is 3 315 497 with 20 063 new tests conducted since the last report.
A further 260 COVID-19 related deaths were reported – 68 from Eastern Cape, 62 in the Free State, 30 from Gauteng, 39 from KZN, 14 from Limpopo, 18 in Mpumalanga, 21 from Western Cape and 8 from Northern Cape.
This brings the total COVID-19 related cumulative deaths to 11 270.
The recoveries now stand at 437 617 which translates to a recovery rate of 76%.
Worldwide coronavirus cases have surpassed 20.7 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 12.8 million have recovered, and more than 751,000 have died.
Meanwhile the World Health Organization said it saw no evidence of coronavirus being spread by food or packaging.
“People should not fear food, or food packaging or processing or delivery of food,” WHO emergencies programme head Mike Ryan told a briefing in Geneva. “There is no evidence that food or the food chain is participating in transmission of this virus. And people should feel comfortable and safe.”
The comments were made after two cities in China said they had found traces of the coronavirus in imported food from Brazil and Ecuador, raising fears that contaminated food shipments might cause a new outbreak.
Compiled by Lehlohonolo Lehana.