South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Tuesday reported a decline in the number of coronavirus cases, reported Anadolu Agency.
According to data released by the health ministry, the country recorded 1,742 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours with a lower positivity rate of 6.48% compared to the last two months, when the rate was 10% or above.
“Today, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases identified in South Africa is 1,479,253,” the South African health minister announced.
Mkhize also revealed that 396 people had succumbed to COVID-19, taking the country’s total number of deaths to 46,869. The Limpopo province recorded the highest number of coronavirus deaths at 118, followed by Gauteng province, Johannesburg, and the capital Pretoria.
“Our recoveries now stand at 1,367,247, representing a recovery rate of 92%,” the minister added.
South Africa is currently struggling with a new variant of the coronavirus known as 501Y.V2. Earlier this week, the South African government temporarily banned the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine hours after a new study revealed that it is less effective against the 501Y.V2 variant, which accounts for 90% of new Covid cases in the country.
It was found that the vaccine did not significantly reduce the risk of mild or moderate COVID-19 from the new variant that resulted in the second wave of infections starting late last year.
The South African country had received 1 million doses of the vaccine on Feb. 1, which the government had said would first be administered to frontline health workers.
“We shall wait for guidance from our scientists on how to use the AstraZeneca vaccine,” Mkhize said at a news conference this week attended by health experts who gave updates regarding vaccines.
South Africa has recorded the highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths on the African continent and is also the 16th most affected country in the world.
