Durban - South Africa’s Covid-19 death toll rose to 53 940 on Wednesday after 53 more people succumbed to the virus, the Department of Health said.
As of Wednesday, the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases for South Africa stood 1 569 935, the department’s daily report revealed.
The number of tests conducted to as of Wedneday totalled 10 413 180 and of these 34 091 tests were completed since the last report.
Of the 53 new deaths reported, the Eastern Cape accounted for 17, the Free State 11, Gauteng 8, KwaZulu-Natal 3, Limpopo 0, Mpumalanga 1, North West 0, Northern Cape 9,and the Western Cape 4.
South Africa’s cumulative recoveries stood at 1 495 864, representing a recovery rate of 95%.
The new figures come in the wake of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) sounding the alarm after a spike in Covid-19 cases in at least three provinces.
On Wednesday, the NICD reported that there has been an upsurge in cases in the Northern Cape, North West and Free State
The senior epidemiologist at the NICD, Dr Harry Moultrie told IOL that a team was working with these provinces to ascertain whether the rise in cases was a result of cluster outbreaks.
He said the team has recommend increased testing and contact tracing to contain the situation and limit further spread.
Moultrie said with the April school holiday season on the horizon and many people planning to travel and the possibility of social gatherings, it was important that people complied with Covid-19 safety protocols: wearing masks, maintaining a distance of at least 1.5 metres from others, and washing hands or using a hand sanitiser.
IOL