Gauteng surges ahead as new Covid-19 epicentre

9 Jul 2020

Gauteng has officially overtaken the Western Cape as the country's Covid-19 epicentre with the highest number of cases cumulatively, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced late on Wednesday.

Image: sanews.gov.za

The smallest, but most densely populated province had recorded 75,015 positive cases, (33.4%) of the national cases, the Western Cape now has 73,292 positive cases (32.6%).

The country's cumulative number of cases stands on 224,665 people, with the total deaths increasing by 100 to 3,602. The number of recoveries is 106,842 (47.5% recovery rate).

The spike in Gauteng infections had been anticipated and expected.

Meanwhile the Gauteng Department of Health has confirmed that six members of its Covid-19 war room has contracted the virus. In a statement, the department said its head, Professor Mkhululi Lukhele, was among those who had tested positive.

The department has also clarified that it had not dug one million graves for Covid-19. “The department does not have a million already open graves, the over a million graves refers to the collective capacity municipalities can take,” said the department.

The clarity came after MEC Dr Bandile Masuku visited a gravesite in Tshwane on Wednesday. The gravesite visited has a capacity of about 24,000.