Cape Town – A further 174 Covid-19-related deaths were recorded in the country on Tuesday, bringing the total number of deaths to 4 346, said Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.
Four deaths were recorded in the Northern Cape, 27 in KwaZulu- Natal, 17 in the Eastern Cape, 44 in the Western Cape and 82 in Gauteng, Mkhize said in a statement. This is the first time another province has exceeded the death toll in the Western Cape in a single day.
The death toll in Gauteng (644 yesterday) – the new epicentre of the coronavirus in the country – has caught up with that of the Eastern Cape (709 yesterday), with both provinces having recorded 726 deaths.
As of today, a cumulative total of 298 292 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in South Africa, with 10 496 new cases having been identified. The number of recoveries is 146 279, which translates to a recovery rate of 49%
Active cases have fallen 14% in the Western Cape since they reached a peak of 17 612 on July 6. On Tuesday, active confirmed cases in the Western Cape were 15 160, with an average daily decline of 47 cases over the past 14 days.
Data supplied by the Department of Health
Dr Angelique Coetzee, president of the SA Medical Association, has warned that commuters spending more than 20 minutes in a taxi loaded to full capacity, without proper ventilation, are at risk of being infected with Covid-19 or any contagious disease, even if they wear a face mask.
Coetzee, who also serves on the Ministerial Advisory Committee, also believes "less harsh" measures to curb alcohol consumption, including limiting outlet times, were needed because the ban would impact many workers' livelihoods.
"You are willing to risk 100% loading of a taxi, but you're not willing to risk and come up with a better solution than just shutting down all the alcohol outlets."
Coetzee believes the alcohol issue needs to be addressed more comprehensively because "the moment they lift the ban, it's going to happen again".
Meanwhile, nearly R10 billion in tax relief has been provided to individuals and businesses as part of efforts by National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service to cushion the blow of Covid-19, MPs heard on Tuesday.
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