South Africa breaches the 10 000 new coronavirus cases mark
London, Dec. 17, 2020 (AltAfrica)-The daily number of coronavirus cases in South Africa is getting alarming as the country breached the 10 000 mark on Wednesday.
A statement released by the Department of Health reveals that the country recorded 10 000 new cases since the last report taking the cumulative number of cases to 883 687.
8 provinces record an increase in new infections. The Western Cape is leading with 3 233 new cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng with 2 743 and 1 795 respectively
Only the Eastern Cape reported a decrease in their new cases, according to the report.
The department says daily cases are growing exponentially. “Our positivity rate is sitting at 21%. This far exceeds the ideal positivity rate of 10%. We continue to assess the entire country and where we identify risks, we will engage and make a determination if further containment measures or restrictions are required.”
The department has also reported 166 more COVID-19 related deaths bringing the total to 23 827 deaths.
A cumulative total of 5 968 692 tests have been completed with 48 118 new tests conducted since the last report. The number of recoveries now stand now stands at 774 585.
