Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize.
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- There have been 128 new Covid-19 deaths recorded over the last 24 hours.
- Health Minister Zweli Mkhize revealed on Tuesday that the majority of the deaths were reported in the Western Cape.
- Mkhize said some of the factors associated with in-hospital mortality included comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic cardiac disease, chronic renal disease and HIV.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Tuesday revealed that Covid-19 had claimed 128 people in the past 24 hours, with the majority of the deaths reported in the Western Cape.
He said 52 people died in the Western Cape, 36 in Gauteng, 25 in the Eastern Cape, 11 in KwaZulu-Natal and four in Mpumalanga.
“This brings the total deaths to 2 657. We wish to express our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated the deceased. The mortality rate is 1.8%. The number of recoveries is 73 543, which translates to a recovery rate of 48.6%.
“As of today, the cumulative number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa is 151 209, with 6 945 new cases reported.
“About 1 630 008 tests have been completed in total, of which 33 013 new tests are reported,” said Mkhize.
READ | Another hard lockdown ‘possible’ as SA prepares for spike in deaths – Mkhize
Meanwhile, Mkhize earlier revealed that between 5 March and 21 June the National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported that there were 10 700 Covid-19 admissions at 269 health facilities nationally – 71 public facilities and 198 private facilities.
“The median age of admissions was 50 years. About 338 patients were less than 18 years and 1 386 were less than 70 years.
“About 5 778 patients were female. Among 8 245 patients with data on comorbid conditions, 2 810 had one comorbid condition and 3 126 had two or more comorbid conditions.
“Of the 5 836 patients who had a comorbid condition, the most commonly reported were hypertension at 3 419, diabetes 2 813 and there were 1 116 patients admitted with HIV, 240 with active TB and 579 patients with previous history of TB,” said Mkhize.
Obesity, while not consistently recorded for all reported admissions, was noted by clinicians as a risk factor in 297 patients.
Mkhize added that, of the 10 700 admissions, 3 260 patients were in hospital at the time of the report, 5 925 were discharged alive or transferred out, and 1 515 patients had died, equating to an in-hospital case fatality ratio of 21%.
“Some of the factors associated with in-hospital mortality were older age groups of males having comorbid hypertension, diabetes, chronic cardiac disease, chronic renal disease, malignancy, HIV and obesity,” said Mkhize.
The minister has again appealed to the nation to partner with the government in the fight against the coronavirus.
“We are riding into the storm, but together we will prevail. As the numbers of admissions increase, so too must be the clinical acumen.
“We are constantly learning more about the behaviour of the virus when it enters the body. Our ability to refine our clinical management will have a significant impact on the overall burden of the disease on our healthcare system,” Mkhize said.
