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The country reported a record daily increase of 17,710 coronavirus infections on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of around 14,500 set several days ago.
“As of today, the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases identified is 1,039,161 with 17,710 (33% positivity rate) cases identified since the last report,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
The positivity rate is the percentage of people who tested positive out of the total number of people who received the test.
“The positivity rate, which is an indicator of how fast the spread is, continues to be of great concern,” the ministry said.
South Africa, which has the highest number of cases on the continent, has been battling a large increase in coronavirus cases since late November, due in large part to a new strain of a virus called 501.V2, the government said.
This has put great pressure on hospitals with some overcrowded medical facilities, prompting the government to impose stricter closure measures.
The number of deaths per day has risen to an average of nearly 500 in recent days, with the total death toll at more than 28,000.
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