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The Eastern Cape now has more than 1,000 Covid-19 cases, representing 89 of the new cases reported since Friday. The total number of Covid-19 cases in SA now stands at 9,420.
The Western Cape, the epicenter of the SA outbreak, registered 312 new cases, Gauteng 60 and KwaZulu-Natal 54 new cases. The Free State, Mpumalanga and the North Cape each reported a new case, while Limpopo reported seven new cases. There were no new cases in the northwest.
There have been 3,983 recoveries.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said a total of 324,079 Covid-19 tests had been performed, of which 16,327 were new tests.
The provincial breakdown of cases on Saturday was provided as:
- Western Cape Province – 4,809;
- Gauteng – 1,910;
- KwaZulu-Natal – 1, 308;
- Eastern Cape – 1,078;
- Free State – 134;
- Mpumalanga – 61;
- Limpopo – 51;
- Northwest – 41; and
- North Cape – 287.
Mkhize announced Saturday that everyone in the Western Cape who tests positive for Covid-19 will be confined to the hospital if doctors are not satisfied that they can properly isolate themselves.
Until now, asymptomatic patients had been asked to isolate themselves, but Mkhize said it was no longer good enough, as the Western Cape accounted for half of all Covid-19 cases nationwide.
If they were unable to demonstrate that they can self-isolate to the satisfaction of doctors, “we will place them in field hospitals,” he said.
“People will be kept in the hospital not because they need treatment but until they are past the point where they are infectious.”
One of the field hospitals, with 857 beds, will open in June at the Cape Town International Convention Center.
Western Cape Prime Minister Alan Winde said this week that there would be two more field hospitals in Cape Town and one in another part of the province.
More quarantine beds will also be provided for people who have had contact with confirmed Covid-19 patients, he said.
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