Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced that the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 has increased by 165 new cases from yesterday.
The number of people who have contracted the virus is now sitting at 3465, which was a jump from 3300. The number of people who succumbed to the virus are 58 in total and no new deaths were reported today.
The total number of tests conducted was 126 937.
Mkhize was speaking in the Eastern Cape, where he was visiting the province following a rapid rise in cases of coronavirus, apparently attributed to practices during funerals.
The minister called on citizens to change the way funerals are carried out, saying things like catering were risks for the spread of the global pandemic.
“Today we visited the Eastern Cape where we have observed a rapid rise in the number of confirmed cases and this raised a concern. The biggest risk of spread that has been identified is the cultural practices occurring at funerals,” he said.
Mkhize said they had deployed more medical experts, including epidemiologists, analysts and field consultants to reinforce the provincial team.
The Eastern Cape now has the fourth largest number of positive cases of the virus, sitting at 345.
Gauteng remains the epicentre of the epidemic with 1199 cases, followed by the Western Cape at 1010 and KwaZulu Natal with 671 cases.
