The Department of Health has reported 10 more Covid-19-related deaths in the country, which brings the toll to 103.
Three were reported in Gauteng, four in the Western Cape, two in KwaZulu-Natal and one in the Eastern Cape.
In Gauteng, the three who died were aged 89, 82 and 80.
- the 89-year-old female had experienced shortness of breath,
- the 82-year-old female had underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and presented with acute renal failure and a concomitant urinary tract infection, and
- the 80-year-old male had experienced a fever, shortness of breath and also had underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
In the Western Cape, the four deceased were aged 57, 61, 58 and 33.
- the 57-year-old male had experienced a fever and shortness of breath and had underlying hypertension,
- the 61-year-old female had presented flu-like symptoms and low blood oxygen and was hypertensive,
- the 58-year-old female had experienced a fever, shortness of breath and had poorly-controlled hypertension,
- the 33-year-old female had also presented with flu0like symptoms and had low blood oxygen. The department said her case was concerning because she was subsequently diagnosed with acute myocarditis (inflammation of the heart).
“She had no previously diagnosed co-morbidities,” the department said in a statement.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the two deceased were aged 89 and 67.
- the 89-year-old female had underlying conditions of hypertension, diabetes and cardiac disease,
- the 67-year-old female had underlying conditions of asthma and arthritis.
And in the Eastern Cape, the one deceased female was 39 years old female who had presented with pneumonia.
“She was a person living with HIV with superadded tuberculosis and cryptococcal meningitis,” the department said.
This as confirmed cases jumped by 354 to 5 350.
“This is the highest number of cases in a 24-hour cycle recorded to date and represents a 73% increase, relative to the day before,” Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement on Wednesday.
In addition, 197 127 people have been tested to date, with 11 630 tests being conducted in the last 24 hours.
The Western Cape remains the epicentre of the virus with 2 135 cases followed by Gauteng with 1 406 and KwaZulu-Natal on 956.
Provincial breakdown:
Eastern Cape: 630
Free State: 113
Limpopo: 31
Mpumalanga: 31
North West: 29
Northern Cape: 17
Due to the number of new cases doubling from 133 on Tuesday to 264 on Wednesday in the Western Cape, the government plans to provide additional support to the province.
“The province has been asked to recruit additional personnel and 30 Cuban doctors will also be sent to reinforce the human resource capacity,” Mkhize said.
The country will move to a level 4 lockdown on Friday which will see the re-opening of parts of the economy.
