South Africa’s Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize on Tuesday said the total number of coronavirus cases has increased to 2,415 with 143 cases reported over the past day, reported Reuters.
Mkhize, however, did not provide any update on the number of deaths, which stood at 27 a day earlier. The total number of tests conducted so far was 87 022.
“We still have a long way to go,” he told a news conference at Johannesburg airport. “This is not a sprint, this is a marathon.”
He said that the equipments and testing kits donated by China had just landed and would help South Africa “in fighting this invisible enemy called COVID-19”.
These included 10 000 N95 masks and disposable gloves, 50 000 surgical disposable masks as well as 2000 medical protective gowns and goggles.
During the same press conference, South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said the government was aware of complaints of allegedly racist treatment against South Africans in China. She said she believes that China will take necessary actions soon.
“We believe we can accept the commitment of … China to address these concerns,” Pandor said.
Several African countries have appealed China to address their concerns that Africans, particularly in the southern city of Guangzhou, are being harassed and mistreated.
The number of COVID-19 cases of COVID-19 is rapidly increasing in South Africa. The number is expected to rise even more as more tests are conducted in the country’s rural areas and overcrowded informal settlements.
To curb the spread of coronavirus in the country, President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered a nationwide lockdown on March 27. Last week, the president extended the lockdown by two weeks until the end of April as a precautionary measure.
South Africa still has the most confirmed coronavirus cases on the continent, which has registered a total of 5,741 so far.
