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Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize pressed the panic button, as SA registered more than 14,000 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours.
This is the largest increase in cases in a single day. The previous highest total was 13,944 on July 24.
And, Mkhize said, the spread of the virus in the second wave was “much faster” than the first wave. Currently, there are 117,229 active confirmed cases in SA.
“Today we report, with concern, that 14,046 Covid-19 cases have been identified since the last report with a positivity rate of 26%. The cumulative total of Covid-19 cases today is 954,258,” he said.
Mkhize also reported that 411 Covid-19-related deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, the second-highest daily death toll and only the third time the account had passed the 400 mark.
Mkhize said the virus was spreading “exponentially”.
“In fact, the rate of spread is much faster than the first wave and we will exceed the peak of the first wave in the next few days.
“We must warn South Africans that we will have to review the current restrictions and consider further measures to ensure that we curb this alarming rate of spread,” he said.
He said that KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng accounted for 81% of new cases registered within 24 hours, and KZN accounted for 30%, 28% and 23% respectively.
“Therefore, it will be important for us to assess the situation in these provinces, identify critical points in these areas (and in other provinces where they can be identified) and make recommendations based on these findings and the results of what is implemented in critical points that are have identified thus far We can never stress enough the need for citizens to take all necessary precautions as we celebrate the holiday season and seek a respite from a difficult year.
“Unfortunately, Covid-19 is relentless and therefore we cannot afford to be complacent at this stage,” he said.
Of the recently recorded deaths, 171 occurred in the Western Cape, 101 in eastern Cpae, 90 in KwaZulu-Natal, 34 in Gauteng, and six in the northwest and Mpumalanga.
To date, 25,657 deaths related to Covid-19 have been confirmed.
TimesLIVE
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