Africa-Press – South-Africa. Cape Town – Over the past 24 hours, 1 048 new positive Covid-19 cases and a further 121 deaths were reported, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
Cumulatively, the country has recorded 1 540 009 positive cases since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The death toll stands at 52 372.
Testing
Over the past year, 9 690 819 tests have been conducted with 25 155 tests completed since the last report.
Recoveries
South Africa has recorded 1 466 595 recoveries, representing a recovery rate of 95%.
Deaths by province for March 24:
Eastern Cape 4
Free State 38
Gauteng 24
KwaZulu Natal 5
Limpopo 38
Mpumalanga 4
Northern Cape 8
Vaccine drive
“The number of health care workers vaccinated under the Sisonke Protocol remains 207 808, ” the health department said.
Government advisory committee calls for tighter lockdown restrictions over Easter
The Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on Covid-19 has recommended that government impose tighter lockdown restrictions for the upcoming long Easter weekend.
Speaking to eNCA, the chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19 Professor Barry Schoub said the committee had advised the government to implement tougher restrictions in a bid to stem the tide of the coronavirus third wave hitting South Africa.
He said the tighter restrictions would be temporary and should be quickly lifted after Easter.
“This is a sensitive period of the Easter period where there is the vulnerability and the chance of the risk that we could have a super spreading event, with all the festivities and activities that go with the Easter long weekend. So the advisory was for a temporary increase in restrictions over this period of time,” he said.
