South Africa’s COVID-19 death toll has risen to 24, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said today.
Mkhize also said the total number of confirmed cases in the country has breached the 2000 mark with 2003 now confirmed to have the virus.
There are 410 people who have recovered from the deadly virus.
Gauteng continues to be the epicenter of the virus in the country, with 801 confirmed cases and 3 deaths, while the Western Cape has 541 citizens who have tested positive for the virus and 6 deaths.
KwaZulu-Natal has the highest mortality rate with 12 people who have died from the virus and 412 who have tested positive.
Mkhize said while there has been a slowdown in the number of new cases since the lockdown came into effect, South Africans should not be complacent and should still take precautions and follow the regulations.
“We need to learn that now we have a new culture; social distancing is very important if we want to flatten the curve,” Mkhize said.
“The issue of wearing masks is also important. And we want to recommend a mass use of masks. There is evidence that masks are very effective in preventing the spread of the virus.”
The global death toll from the virus is fast approaching the 100 000 mark, with the USA now the epicentre of the virus with more than 16,600 deaths recorded so far and 466 299 confirmed cases. The total global confirmed cases stand just above 1,6 million and 96 787 deaths as of lunchtime on Friday.
