The Department of Health confirmed on Monday 6 July that South Africa’s cumulative COVID-19 caseload increased by 8 971 within the last 24 hours.
COVID-19 update: Monday 6 July 2020
Minister Mkhize confirmed in a statement that the number of new cases of the novel coronavirus in South Africa reached 205 721, which is an increase of 8 971 new cases since Sunday’s reported total of 196 750.
The statement also highlighted that 97 848 South Africans have recovered from COVID-19. Unfortunately, a further 111 deaths were reported: 9 from Eastern Cape, 50 from Gauteng, 17 from Limpopo and 35 from Western Cape.
This brings the total deaths to 3 310. The breakdown per province can be found below. As of 6 July, the recovery rate is 47.6%
Breakdown of new confirmed COVID-19 cases
New cases, deaths and recoveries by province
The confirmed COVID-19 cases per province is as follows:
Tests and screening
As of today, a total of 1 706 127 tests have been conducted, of which 39 188 were done in the last 24 hours. The total number of tests conducted in the private sector stands at 829 129, of which 24 013 were done in the last 24 hours.
In addition, 813 998 tests were conducted in the public sector, with 15 175 being done within the last 24 hours.
Measures to curb the spread
Earlier today, Mkhize announced that four provinces are risk of a COVID-19 surge: Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The health minister added that a hard lockdown “could not be ruled out”.
He added that new cases will spike during July and August, and added:
“If there’s a need and it looks like our only way out – we might have to institute [a hard lockdown].”
In addition, SAPS stations continue to be hit with COVID-19 infections and have been forced to temporarily close their doors, with most of the affected offices in Gauteng.
All the police stations appear to be undergoing the same set of reactionary protocols, and satellite units have been set up near the affected stations, which are available to service the crime-related needs in the respective communities.
Global COVID-19 news
At the time of publishing, confirmed cases globally are nearing the 12 million-mark, with a total of 11 661 924 people falling ill to the virus. The global death toll now stands at 538 618, while 6 601 091 patients have recovered.
There are currently 4 522 215 active cases across the globe, of which 4 463 541 have a mild infection, and 58 674 are in a critical condition. The USA still has the most confirmed cases, now standing at 3 011 877 confirmed cases and 132 747 deaths.
The USA saw an unprecedented spike in new infections, and reported 28 949 cases within the past 24 hours, while India is trailing a close second, with 22 510 new cases since Sunday.
