South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Friday reported 2,055 new COVID-19 cases bringing the number of confirmed infections to 657,627, reported Anadolu Agency.
Mkhize informed that 85 people died from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours putting the number of fatalities at 15,857.
South Africa has been reporting a decline in cases for the past six weeks, recording less than 2,000 daily infections. The country was recording about 12,000 cases daily two months ago. Furthermore, the demand for hospital beds, ventilators, oxygen and other essential medical needs have also decreased.
“Today marks another milestone in South Africa’s fight against COVID-19. The cumulative number of tests conducted to date has surpassed 4 million,” he said.
The South African health minister said 586,844 people have recovered from the virus so far.
Despite, reporting the highest number of confirmed cases in Africa and being the eighth most affected country globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) commended South Africa for its determined efforts that helped to bend the COVID-19 pandemic curve.
On Thursday, the WHO said it is greatly encouraged by ongoing measures the nation have taken to suppress the spread of COVID-19.
“To tackle the pandemic, South Africa took decisive steps such as instituting response coordination mechanisms at all levels, setting up control interventions for all critical pillars of response and imposing public health and social measures, including movement restrictions, curfews and closure of businesses,” the international health body said.
The WHO also said the South African government’s strong public health measures helped limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and allowed the country to establish capacities for testing, isolation, treatment of cases, and tracing as well as quarantining contacts.
The WHO praised the country’s strong commitment and leadership as strong pillars that have helped in combating the pandemic. It said the nation’s strong health system, research in health science, and diagnostic capacity has also provided a steady foundation to the COVID-19 response.
