Weekly Covid-19 round-up: South African cases climb at alarming rate
Making headlines this week was the spike in daily Covid-19 infections, reports on the progress of the mass vaccination programme, and fake news that claimed schools were set to close.
As of yesterday (Thursday), the total number of Covid-19 cases identified in South Africa was 1 649 977, with the number of tests conducted to date 11 495 627.
The Department of Health (DoH) has reported 93 new Covid-19-related deaths in the past 24-hours.
- 1 in the Eastern Cape
- 17 in the Free State
- 42 in Gauteng
- 3 in KwaZulu-Natal
- 15 in Limpopo
- 15 in Western Cape
This brought the total number of Covid-19-related deaths in the country to 56 170.
The total recoveries in the country stood at 1 548 092, representing a recovery rate of 93.8%.
Vaccination roll-out:
The total number of health workers vaccinated under the Sisonke Programme was 479 768. They received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The DoH indicated that its teams undertook data verification processes over the weekend in preparation for the finalisation of a public-facing live dashboard.
The total number of people vaccinated in phase two as of midnight yesterday was 348 436. These people received their first dose of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine.
Fake reports on school closures
As the number of Covid-19 cases rose, parents around the country became increasingly concerned about posts circulating on social media about the closure of schools.
The Department of Basic Education dismissed as fake news an image being circulated online that claimed schools would be closed until June 28. Members of the public are urged to be vigilant and verify sources of information they read before sharing it on social media.
Meanwhile, South Africans await news of another address by President Cyril Ramaphosa on possible new restrictions.
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