COVID-19: SA records over 5 000 cases for third consecutive day
The number of COVID-19 cases in South Africa is on a steady increase, with more than 5 000 daily infections having been picked up for three days in a row. In a statement on Friday evening, 4 June 2021, the Department of Health said that 5 668 new cases were recorded, taking the total number of confirmed infections since the start of the outbreak to 1 686 041.
On Wednesday, 5 782 new cases were reported, while 5 360 new daily infections were detected on Thursday. This means more than 16 000 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in just three days – further signaling how close the country is to officially entering a third wave of infections, particularly in the wake of both the India and UK variants of the respiratory disease, having been detected.
“It may only be a matter of time before the country as a whole will have entered a third wave,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his last address to the nation.
The health department said 1 570 975 people in the country have managed to recuperate from the respiratory disease, which translates to a recovery rate of 94.2%.
SA’s COVID-19 death toll rises by 67
On another grim note, COVID-19 continues claiming more lives in the country, with an additional 67 people having been reported dead over the past 24-hour cycle – this puts the toll to 56 932. Of the new fatalities, 24 were in Gauteng, 23 in the Free State, eight in the Western Cape, five in KwaZulu-Natal, four in the Eastern Cape and three in the Northern Cape.
No new COVID-19-related deaths were recorded in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the North West. Globally, 172 million cases have been recorded, nearly 157 million of which have led to recoveries – while 3.7 million people have died.
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