COVID-19: South Africa’s death toll breaches 19 000

South Africa has reached yet another sombre milestone in the fight against COVID-19, with the death toll surpassing the 19 000 mark. This is after 40 people succumbed to the respiratory disease on Monday, 26 October 2020 – putting the exact figure at 19 008.

“Regrettably, we report 40 Covid-19-related deaths today: 8 from the Eastern Cape, 4 from Gauteng, 1 from KwaZulu-Natal, 4 from Mpumalanga, 16 from North West and 7 from the Western Cape,” the Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize said in a statement.

“Of the 40 deaths reported today, 10 were reported to have occurred in the past 24-48 hours: 2 from the Eastern Cape, 4 from Gauteng, 1 from KwaZulu- Natal and 3 in the Western Cape”

Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize

Less than 1 000 cases recorded

However, there is good news as the number of people who have managed to defeat the virus is currently at 646 721, which translates to a recovery rate of 90%.

“The cumulative number of tests conducted to date is 4 709 403, with 11 464 new tests conducted since the last report,” the minister said.

The country has also picked up 891 new infections of the disease in a single day, which brings the total caseload to 716 759.

South Africans have long been warned the country could soon revert to a hard lockdown due to complacency.

“We are now encouraging all provinces to pay attention to these increasing numbers and quickly mount a response, including contact tracing and quarantine,” the minister said at the time.

Globally, more than 43 million people have contracted the coronavirus, while well over a million others have lost their battle with the disease. The pandemic has essentially shut down the global economy, with millions of jobs lost and businesses forced to close.

The World Health Organisation Director-General (DG), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the previous week saw the highest number of cases reported so far.

“Many countries in the northern hemisphere are seeing a concerning rise in cases and hospitalisations. And intensive care units are filling up to capacity in some places, particularly in Europe and North America,” Ghebreyesus said.

According to the DG, many leaders are currently assessing their situation and taking action to curb the further spread of the virus.

“We understand the pandemic fatigue that people are feeling. It takes a mental and physical toll on everyone.”

“Furthermore, you continue to maintain physical distance, wearing a mask, cleaning your hands regularly, coughing away from others, avoiding crowds, or meeting friends and family outside,” he added.